'Did It Not Captivate?' Why a Shortened Match Was No Less a Genuine Test.

In a glass case on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.

The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.

The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.

If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.

This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Having a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment made during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.

The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.

There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.

"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

The players protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.

Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.

Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.

Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.