'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Two-Day Test Remained Every Bit a Proper Test.

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

You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.

The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.

The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.

If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the series.

Having excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

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

The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

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

Problem Solving: The True Test

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective

Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

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

There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.

New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.

In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.

Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.