'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Two-Day Fixture Was No Less a Genuine Cricket Test.

Within a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.

It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.

The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.

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

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.

The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience made during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Pure Elation: The Supporters' View

Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches

The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.

That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

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

The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.

New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.

At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.

Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.