'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Shortened Match Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Cricket Test.

Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.

The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.

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

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.

This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.

Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience made elsewhere.

Adaptation: The Real Challenge

Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.

The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View

Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.

There was belief as the attack dominated, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.

Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.

"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

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

The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his face.

New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.

Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.