'Was That Not a Show?' Why a 48-Hour Match Remained Every Bit a Authentic Cricket Test.

In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.

The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game

The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.

The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.

If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.

This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.

The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted elsewhere.

Adjustment: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.

There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.

That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in both.

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

"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Looking Ahead

In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.

The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.

Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.

As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.

Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.