'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Match Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test.

Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.

The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.

Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

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

Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment devoted elsewhere.

Adaptation: The Real Challenge

Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.

Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.

There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.

That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope

In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.

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

Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.

In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.

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