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

Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.

The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.

The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.

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

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the patience made in other matches.

Adjustment: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.

The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.

There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.

That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.

At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.

"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.

Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.

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

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

Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.