'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Shortened Match Was No Less a Authentic Cricket Test.

Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.

Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.

The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.

The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.

If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.

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

A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.

The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.

There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.

That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.

At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.

"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

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

Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.

In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.

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