'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Proper Cricket Test.

In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.

You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.

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

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.

Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.

The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the patience made in other matches.

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are embraced more easily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.

The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.

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

Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.

That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the end of the format at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

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

Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.

As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.

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