'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Two-Day Match Was No Less a Authentic Test Match.

Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.

You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.

The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.

The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.

If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time committed in other matches.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

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

In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.

There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.

That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.

The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.

Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.

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

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

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