'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Test Deserved Its Status as a Genuine Test.

Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.

The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.

The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted elsewhere.

Problem Solving: The True Test

Some factors are embraced more easily than others.

The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.

Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.

There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.

That match was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.

"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Looking Ahead

In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.

Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.

At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.

Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.