'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Two-Day Test Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test Match.

In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.

The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.

The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.

If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.

Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time committed in other matches.

Adaptation: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.

The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.

There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.

"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Baby Steps: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.

In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.

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