'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a Shortened Fixture Remained Every Bit a Genuine Cricket Test.

Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.

Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.

The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.

The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.

This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.

Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

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

The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience made during quieter periods.

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.

There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.

"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.

Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.

At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.

As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.

Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.