'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Shortened Match Remained Every Bit a Proper Test Match.

Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.

It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.

The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket

The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.

The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.

The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Pure Elation: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the bowlers surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.

That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.

Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.

The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.

Different players delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.

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

Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.