'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Fixture Remained Every Bit a Proper Test Match.

In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.

Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.

The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.

The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.

Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

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

Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience made elsewhere.

Problem Solving: The Real Challenge

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.

That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.

"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.

New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.

In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.

Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.