'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Two-Day Fixture Was No Less a Authentic Test Match.

Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.

You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.

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

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

This is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.

Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest 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 wide of the mark.

The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the time committed in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.

The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.

Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.

There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.

That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in them.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.

"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.

Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.

As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the field to start their own festivities.

Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.