'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Genuine Test.

Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.

You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.

The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format

The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.

The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.

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

Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.

The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience made elsewhere.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.

"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: Looking Ahead

In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.

The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.

Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.

In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.

Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.