'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Fixture Was No Less a Proper Test Match.

Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.

The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.

The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment made during quieter periods.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.

Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.

There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.

Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."

Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope

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

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

Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.

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

As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.

Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.