MELBOURNE :While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured 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.

But generations of fans remain enthralled by the Ashes, a sprawling, five-test grudge match steeped in tradition, myth and cultural identity.

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