With the fifth and final Ashes Test about to start at The Oval, it might just be the perfect time to take a minute to appreciate the amazing series we have all witnessed. If you accept that Australia has retained the Ashes, despite England leading the series with one actual victory, two Tests which they felt like they won, and finally the moral victory in Manchester, then you’re not fully appreciating all that has happened.

We have been treated to a revolution in the way Test cricket is played, The centuries old game had forever been like all other competitive endeavours, the aim of which was to better the opponent, and to win by all measures, within the rules and guidelines.

Now, thanks to England, led by two of New Zealand’s finest, cricket has been elevated far above a petty squabble. The scorebook has become irrelevant, runs and wickets are no longer to be carefully counted to determine a victor, they are to be savoured for their entertainment value, and applauded for their ability to titillate the senses of all who are blessed to bare witness.

To the past England have assigned the carefully-crafted, technically-correct Test innings. Those that appreciated the elegance of a David Gower cover drive or a Mark Waugh square cut, are the diminishing few, the ongoing survival of cricket depends on the X-Box generation. There are no balls being left outside off stump in Grand Theft Auto, more likely the stump is torn from the ground and used to beat a bystander to death. And so when England’s batters stride to the wicket, they don’t carry a bat, they are armed with a wooden blade, hellbent on carving a path of destruction through cowering bowling attacks.

This is no longer cricket, and I would argue that someone like Harry Brook has never played a technically correct cricket shot in his life, and nor should he. Brook and his England teammates are bringing Test cricket out of the history books, beyond the now and into the future. It’s a future where T20 is deemed too long and tedious, replaced by F5 leagues. It’s a future where cricket balls are considered too dangerous, replaced by softer alternatives. A future where entertainment is king and patience is a commodity no one can afford.

England captain Brad Stokes prophetically understands all of this.

“There are bigger things for (England) than winning the Ashes,“ he said after missing another chance to win the Ashes.

“As much as I would love to be an Ashes-winning captain, I want this team to be a legacy team. I think regardless of what happens over the next period, these 18 months will always go down in history as one of the most exciting and proactive teams to ever walk out there and represent England.

“But I think what we’ve managed to do has already done wonders for cricket in England. I said in the dressing room that the reward for your work isn’t what you get, it’s what you become. And I think what we’ve managed to become is a team that people will remember.

“We’ve become a team that have been so unbelievably well followed and we will live long in the memories of those who have watched us.”

And he is so right. In a period where England have won just three out of 20 Ashes Tests played, no one is going to remember them for their victories. Instead, they will never be forgotten for the way they have changed the game, entertained and offered so much, ultimately empty, hope.

Regardless of the outcome of the fifth Test at The Oval, Australia will return home with the Ashes. Deep down they will undoubtably acknowledge that their success pales into insignificance when compared to what England achieved during this series. This England team will be remembered forever for all they have brought to the game of cricket.

What we have ultimately learned is that victory is in the eye of the beholder.