'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a 48-Hour Match Remained Every Bit a Proper Cricket Test.

Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.

Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.

The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.

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

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

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.

This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.

Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment made during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.

The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.

The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View

Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.

There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.

That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.

"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope

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

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

New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.

Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.

As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.

Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.