'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Two-Day Fixture Remained Every Bit a Genuine Test.

In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.

The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even Test cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.

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

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

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment devoted in other matches.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Some factors are embraced more freely than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.

There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to them.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.

"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

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

Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own enjoyment.

Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.