'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test Match.

Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.

Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.

The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce art or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.

The climate, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.

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

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.

This is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience made in other matches.

Adjustment: The Core Skill

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.

"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.

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

New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.

At the very least, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.

Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.