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Aside from providing us with one of the most thrilling days of cricket in history, what the third Ashes Test has done is ensure both of the next two matches will be blockbusters.
The last five series between Australia and England each finished with dead rubbers, the Ashes already having been secured in either the third or fourth Test.
While Australia can retain the Ashes by winning the next Test in Manchester, the series itself would still be alive in the fifth Test and the tourists are desperate to end their 18-year run without a series victory in England.
Regardless of what happens in this next match, the fifth Test will be drenched in drama.
The last time we had an engrossing finish to the Ashes was a decade ago when the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the fifth Test before England wrapped up the series at The Oval.
When England were nine wickets down yesterday this series looked like it may end with a whimper, with Australia 2-0 up and the hosts labouring.
Instead we’re now set to be served two of the most important Ashes matches of the modern era. It gets better, too. For the first time in this series we’re likely to see both sides at full strength.
Australia’s batting maestro Steve Smith will make his return from a concussion injury, massively boosting the potency of their line-up.
England, meanwhile, look set to welcome back the world’s best swing bowler James Anderson. The 37-year-old has missed the past two Tests due to a calf strain he suffered early in the series opener.
Both of those champions will be hell bent on making a major impact at Old Trafford. The prospect of Anderson and Jofra Archer bowling in tandem against Smith is enough to make any cricket fan giddy.
Similarly appetising will be watching how Australia’s elite attack responds to the pasting they copped from Ben Stokes. The England all-rounder produced one of the all-time great Test innings yesterday, a knock so audacious that it seemed to catch the Australians off guard.
The Aussie attack was like a boxer that had kept its opponent at bay for the whole bout, never allowing them within arm’s reach, only for their foe to unexpectedly burst inside their guard and unleash a maelstrom of devastating hooks.
England’s Ben Stokes (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Will they be punch drunk at Old Trafford? Or will that stinging assault from Stokes bring the best out of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon? It will also be fascinating to see the response of Australian captain Tim Paine.
The Tasmanian has received too much criticism over his brief Test career in my view. He took over a basketcase of a side reeling from the ball tampering controversy and has led them with class and composure.
There’s no denying, though, that he’s having a shocking Ashes. Or that he lost control of proceedings during the Stokes blitzkrieg. It was bizarre to watch the Englishman allowed to take easy singles late on in over after over. Farming the strike should not have been so simple.
Paine’s big challenge this week is to keep his team level headed. As agonising as that loss must have been, they still need to win only one of the next two Tests to retain the Ashes.
They were rank underdogs to win the third Test after losing Smith to concussion, with many fans and pundits expecting them to fall apart.
They didn’t. Australia dug deep, scrapped hard in tough conditions and put themselves into what looked like an unbeatable position.
Then Stokes happened.
Overall, though, there were many positives for Australia to take out of that Test. The sparkling performance of Marnus Labuschagne is a massive plus for the tourists. So, too, is the rampant form of big quick Josh Hazlewood, who has 12 wickets at 18 in his two Tests this series.
Australia’s Nathan Lyon (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Australia have shown admirable resilience multiple times in this series. They were in several dire situations in the first Test and fought back to win. Then at Leeds they lost Smith, were forced to bat under lights on seaming deck and still controlled the match until the dying minutes.
There is no reason to believe they will wilt in the wake of yesterday’s events. Paine’s single biggest attribute as a skipper appears to be his calm nature. If he can keep his charges composed over the next few days then they have what it requires to retain the Ashes or even win the series.
Whatever happens, it looks set to be damned exciting. Stokes just set these Ashes ablaze. Kick back and watch them burn.