'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Two-Day Test Remained Every Bit a Authentic Test Match.

In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.

Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.

The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.

The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.

If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.

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

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.

The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience made elsewhere.

Problem Solving: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Pure Elation: The Supporters' View

Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.

There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.

The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.

Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.

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

As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.

Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.