'Did It Not Captivate?' Why a Two-Day Test Was No Less a Genuine Test.

Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.

The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.

The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in both.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.

"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."

Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead

In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.

Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.

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