'Was That Not a Show?' Why a 48-Hour Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test.

In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.

The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create 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 dependent on the environment.

The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience committed elsewhere.

Adaptation: The True Test

Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.

The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Pure Elation: The Supporters' View

Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in both.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.

"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

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

The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.

New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.

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