'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Shortened Test Remained Every Bit a Genuine Test Match.

Within a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.

The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.

The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.

The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed elsewhere.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.

The format is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective

Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.

There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

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

That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in each.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

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

Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.

Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.