Even Steve Smith’s form dipping, with Neil Wagner proving to have kryptonite-like qualities, did nothing to even up the mismatch. Marnus Labuschagne has been empowered since replacing Smith as a concussion substitute at Lord’s in August last year. Since then, he has improved his Test batting average from 26.25 to 63.43: 59, 74, 80, 67, 11, 48, 14, 185, 162, 143, 50, 63, 19, 215, 59. It is a sublime set of numbers but at a cost to Test cricket. Like Smith, the run accumulation is achieved with an aesthetically challenging manner. It is effective but not always pretty. England’s Rory Burns is another batter whose method can be visually challenging.

A by-product of Australia’s clean sweep across the summer is that all the games failed to get into the fifth day. Four-day Test matches are on the ICC’s radar and will be discussed this year. The Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand could be construed as evidence that results can be achieved with a four-day format. There are valid arguments that four-day Test matches could work for games against lower-ranked Full Members such as Ireland and Afghanistan. However, changing five-day Tests feels like a cynical one.

Excuses such as player burnout and costs of a fifth day have been levelled as reasoning to reduce the length of Tests. However, it feels that those reasons are ostensible and extra days would be used for the more commercially viable white-ball cricket. Perhaps cricket does have to accommodate for an audience that subscribes to ‘less is more’. However, transparency of reasoning should help with an informed debate.

Australia has proved that it has recovered, in a playing capacity, from the fallout of Sandpaper Gate. By playing ruthless cricket, it has been relentless in its desire to win. Perhaps the modus operandi is different than pre-Cape Town, but the ‘foot on the throat’ approach is back. Winning well brings comfort but also longs for a scintilla of the exhilaration of Headingley 2019, albeit with a different outcome.