'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a 48-Hour Match Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Cricket Test.

In a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.

You might not like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.

The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.

The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.

If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.

It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.

The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made in other matches.

Adaptation: The Real Challenge

Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.

The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Attempt to convince the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.

There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.

That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.

"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

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

The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.

Different players performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.

Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.