Australia vs England fourth test day 1 cricket scores, results, start time, wickets, teams, how to watch, Boxing Day Test, MCG

Just because the last two Tests of the Ashes series are again dead does not mean that they are not brimming with life, gravitas and meaning. No Ashes Test can be fully, incontrovertibly and certifiably dead.

For a start, this time, these Tests are Australia’s common cause. The most frequent adjective heard about the country in the sombre aftermath of the Bondi Beach massacre is “divided”. Cricket can’t be a panacea, but it can and does bring people together in a purpose outside and greater than themselves. It’s a trivial purpose in the scheme of things, but shared nonetheless. Who knows, it might even drown out screeching politicians?

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