'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Shortened Test Remained Every Bit a Proper Cricket Test.

Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.

Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.

The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.

The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.

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

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Some factors are accepted more readily than others.

The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.

The format is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.

In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.

There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.

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

"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope

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

The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.

Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.

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