'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Match Was No Less a Genuine Test Match.

Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.

It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic 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 produce literature or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game

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

The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.

The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment devoted during quieter periods.

Adjustment: The True Test

Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.

The format is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.

That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in both.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.

"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.

The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.

New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.

Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to start their own festivities.

Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.