'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Test Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test.

Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.

Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.

The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.

The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time committed elsewhere.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.

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

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.

There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.

"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.

The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.

In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.

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