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

Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.

The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.

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

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.

This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.

Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

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

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the time devoted elsewhere.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.

That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.

"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

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

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

Different players delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.

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