England defeated Australia by eight wickets in the third Ashes Test as the break-neck pace of a thrilling series continued unchecked, with the longer form of the game consistently struggling to live up to that name.
In a remarkable encounter at Edgbaston, Alastair Cook's side wrapped up victory to seal a 2-1 series lead following just 214 overs of action in Birmingham.
The Test enthralled the vociferous supporters fortunate enough to witness such a spectacle, although Warwickshire County Cricket Club were left to count the cost as they missed out on two days' worth of potential earnings.
None of the three Ashes Tests thus far have gone the distance - both England's success in Cardiff and Australia's subsequent demolition of their hosts at Lord's being concluded inside four days.
There has been a developing trend for Test cricket to be played at a pace more akin to the one-day game, with run-rates consistently topping four an over and more sides bowled out long before the second new ball becomes available at 80 overs.
Indeed, as the game progresses, the distinctions between Test and ODI cricket are becoming less and less clear.
In recent times, the likes of Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya and Virender Sehwag led the way as top-order batsmen who played aggressively in the five-day format, but now it seems their pioneering style has become the norm rather than the exception.
As a result, teams score much more quickly but are also susceptible to losing wickets rapidly, which makes for exciting and unpredictable viewing but is a far cry from the patience and attrition usually associated with Tests.
England's two-match series with New Zealand earlier this year was clear evidence of a widely accepted change of approach. Both clashes went to a fifth day but, on the back of a World Cup in which scores well in excess of 300 became the yardstick, that attacking intent was translated to the Test arena as the two sides racked up a record 3,019 runs.
This week's Ashes meeting at Edgbaston revived memories of the famous encounter between the old foes back in 2005, which saw England romp to 407 all out on the opening day. That passage of play is an extreme example but, if the current trend continues, regular repeats are not far away.
The frenetic pace of the game has led some to call for four-day Tests to be introduced, with a fifth day becoming less and less relevant, although such a notion was rejected by the MCC World Cricket Committee earlier this month.
However, as Test matches move further and further away from their traditional values, the longer form of the game is in danger of losing its identity and becoming an extended version of one-day cricket.