'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a Two-Day Match Remained Every Bit a Genuine Cricket Test.

Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a success.

It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.

The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.

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

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.

Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.

The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed elsewhere.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are accepted more freely than others.

The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.

In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.

There was optimism as the bowlers surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.

Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.

"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.

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