'Was That Not a Show?' Why a Shortened Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Genuine Test Match.

Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.

The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.

The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format

Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.

The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

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

This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.

Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.

A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.

The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.

Adaptation: The True Test

Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.

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

The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.

There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the win was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches

The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.

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

"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.

Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.

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

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

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