'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Match Remained Every Bit a Genuine Cricket Test.

Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.

The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.

If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.

Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.

Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.

The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.

There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.

Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.

At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.

"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.

The team delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his face.

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.

As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.

Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.