'Was That Not a Show?' Why a 48-Hour Match Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test Match.

Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.

The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.

The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game

The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.

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

If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.

An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.

This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the contest.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.

The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time made elsewhere.

Adjustment: The Core Skill

Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.

Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.

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

Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in both.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.

"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."

Small Victories: Looking Ahead

In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.

The players protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.

Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.

Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.

Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.