'Was That Not a Show?' Why a Shortened Fixture Was No Less a Proper Test.

Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.

Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.

The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

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

The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the investment committed during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.

There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.

That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in them.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.

"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

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

The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.

New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.

Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.

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