'Did It Not Captivate?' The Reason a Shortened Test Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test.

In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.

The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game

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

The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.

This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.

A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.

The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the patience made in other matches.

Adjustment: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.

The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.

There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That contest was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.

Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.

"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope

In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.

Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.

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

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