'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a 48-Hour Match Was No Less a Proper Test.

Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.

You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.

The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket

The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.

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

If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Having a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience made in other matches.

Problem Solving: The True Test

Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.

The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View

Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.

There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to them.

Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.

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

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.

The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.

New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.

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