'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 suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a major hit.

You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.

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

If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time committed during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective

Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.

There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in both.

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

"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."

Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.

The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.

New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.

In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.

Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.