Ashes to Ashes, cricket's oldest rivalry endures

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.

Huge crowds will pack out Perth Stadium when the series launches on November 21 and thousands of British fans will cross Australia's vast expanse through to the New Year to take in every game.

England great Ian Botham, whose Ashes feats are cricket legend, will be among them in his role as a broadcaster, one of many former players who grow misty eyed with nostalgia.

"Historically, everyone in the cricketing world watches the Ashes," Botham said near the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue of the fourth test.

"It's tradition, it's the competition. You know that it's all flat out.

"The Ashes is a very healthy place to be if you want to play cricket because you will fill houses."

DEATH OF ENGLISH CRICKET

Most sports boast a fierce rivalry or two, and some date back over 100 years.

But of contests between two nations, none match the Ashes' continuity and consistency.

Arguably, none can match its origin story, either, nor the mysterious appeal of the little terracotta trophy that remains cloistered at Lord's, the game's spiritual home in London, regardless of who wins the