'Did It Not Captivate?' Why a 48-Hour Match Was No Less a Proper Test.

Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.

It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.

The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.

The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.

If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.

Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are embraced more freely than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.

The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.

There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

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

That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to them.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.

"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead

In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.

Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.

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

As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.

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