'Did It Not Captivate?' Why a 48-Hour Fixture Was No Less a Proper Test.

Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.

You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.

The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even the longest format.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.

The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.

If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective

Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.

There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.

That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in them.

At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.

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

Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.

In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.

Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.