'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Shortened Match Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test Match.

In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.

You might not like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.

The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum 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 external factors.

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

If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.

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

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

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

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.

The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.

There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in both.

Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.

"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The team protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.

New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.

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