'Was That Not a Show?' Why a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test.

In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.

The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game

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

The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.

If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.

This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.

Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.

The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.

The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made elsewhere.

Adaptation: The True Test

Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.

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

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.

There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.

That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope

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

The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.

Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.

At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own celebrations.

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