Mike Atherton's team steamrollered Australia for 118 on the opening day of the 1997 series at Edgbaston, but then lost 3-2. Sir Alastair Cook, who has swapped playing on these mornings for talking about them, carries out the famous urn flanked by flames.

T20 and other short formats are here to stay, a cash cow to be milked by players, administrators and broadcasters alike. Speak to those who have faced the first Ashes salvo and they fall into two camps. Those who say "it's just another ball" and the others that call them bluffers.And I also know for a fact Australia will not want Woody to play these last two games. It’s so weird; how does he bowl so fast? He’s not a big bloke, it’s just arm-speed, I guess. He’s so skiddy and always at you, so I’m very happy he’s on my team. And it’s not just with the ball, the way he took them on with the bat was gamechanging.” But, to question England's method would be to miss the point. For them, aggression is not a choice, it is a necessity. It is how they play because that is their best chance of being successful.

Less remembered are England being rolled by Glenn McGrath on the first day at Lord's in 2005 and Andrew Strauss' third-ball dismissal in 2010-11, both series England won. Home advantage makes England slight favourites,” says Morgan. “But Australia are incredibly strong. I see two positives to England’s method: if it works early in the series, it will tempt Australia to change how they play or see them start to question themselves. That can lead to changes in selection, etc. Moment of the series Lyon limps out to bat at Lord’s. There was the comedy of him having to leave the dressing room alongside the previous batter to have a chance of not being timed out, the shame of a brilliant player being ruled out of the series through injury, the sheer grit involved in forcing himself through the pain barrier and the knowledge with hindsight that Lyon’s departure contributed to Australia surrendering a 2-0 lead. When he arrived at the crease before lunch he was greeted with more gaps than a politician's explanation.Eighteen months ago, in a series that ended with Ollie Robinson bowled from closer to square leg than his own stumps, the distance between the two teams seemed every inch the 10,000-plus miles between London and Sydney. What can we expect in 2025? Something completely different. England’s bowling group will be transformed by then and Australia could have lost half their first-choice side. There are big transitions coming and the next Ashes will test who has handled theirs the best. Emma John Stokes always says that results come at the bottom of his list of his priorities and, perhaps, at this very moment in the history of the game, the result of this particular Ashes series is not as important as the style with which it is achieved. Beyond that, England's attitude strikes right to the very heart of sport's actual existence. What is the point if it is not entertaining?