While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from this week to indulge its most time-honored rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
For more than 140 years the bilateral series has kept the heart of test cricket beating even if the five-day format appears on life support in certain nations.
Attention spans have shortened in the era of smartphones and social media, making long-form cricket with its lunch and tea-breaks seem something of an anachronism.
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