'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Shortened Test Deserved Its Status as a Proper Cricket Test.

In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.

It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.

The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

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

The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

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

The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time made in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.

In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.

There was hope as the bowlers surged, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.

Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.

That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead

In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.

New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.

In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.

Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.