'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Test Remained Every Bit a Authentic Test.

Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game

The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.

The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.

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

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.

The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time committed in other matches.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.

The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be attached to both.

At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.

"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Looking Ahead

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

The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.

Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.

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