'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Two-Day Match Was No Less a Authentic Cricket Test.

Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.

The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.

The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.

If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed elsewhere.

Adjustment: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.

The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

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

Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.

There was belief as the attack surged, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.

At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.

"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.

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

Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.

At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.

Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.