'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Two-Day Test Remained Every Bit a Authentic Test Match.

Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.

You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.

The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.

The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.

Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.

A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.

The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time made during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The True Test

Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.

The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.

There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.

At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.

"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope

In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.

The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the field to begin their own festivities.

Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.