'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a Shortened Fixture Remained Every Bit a Genuine Test Match.

Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment 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

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.

The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.

If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.

It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the time committed in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.

The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.

The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of sport.

There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.

That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.

"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.

The team delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.

New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.

Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.