It is stating the obvious to point out England will be riding to Old Trafford on a surge of optimism and goodwill, as they start their final push for the Ashes next week.
People are debating when exactly Ben Stokes should be knighted. Jack Leach has been offered glasses for life by Specsavers.
And Australia have got about as many clues as to their optimum opening partnership as they have how to use the Decision Review System.
Despite all that, the score remains 1-1 in the series with two to play. And the away side have the advantage of holding the urn, meaning a draw will be enough.
Headingley hangover
As England toiled through a tepid start to this series, in the heavy loss at Edgbaston, the theory went that they were still suffering from a World Cup hangover.
That tournament had been so emotionally draining that England were apparently struggling to get back up for the fight in the Ashes.
If that was the case, what will the response to Headingley be? Jofra Archer called it the most intense match he had ever been involved in, and he is as cool as a cucumber – so what about the rest of them? Surely, they will be frazzled.
But at least they have lined their stomachs ahead of the last push. Stokes and Co jumped in an Uber, headed to McDonald’s, and feasted on quarter-pounders to celebrate the win in the third Test.
Problems persist
The Stokes epic was the most spectacular way to apply a Band-Aid over England's continually faltering batting.
If they opt not to change a winning team, they would be giving in to superstition, rather than pragmatism.
At the very least, they might want to rejig the order to switch Jason Roy, with 57 runs at 9.5 from six innings so far, and Joe Denly, who showed courage on Day 3 at Headingley.
Or perhaps Roy should drop out altogether and make way for his in-form Surrey colleague Ollie Pope.
Not that England are alone in facing problems like that. This series feels as though it is a contest to find which side has the least flawed batting line up. Neither are exactly excelling.
DRS
After Joel Wilson turned down Nathan Lyon’s late lbw appeal against Stokes, and thus breaking Australia on Sunday, Tim Paine strode towards him – it was time to change ends, anyway – asking: “What was that missing? What was that missing?”
It seemed passive aggressive – forgivably, maybe, given the situation. Or, he might literally have been asking for some pointers.
If Hawkeye is struggling to triangulate the trajectory of bowling at the moment - as Stokes later intimated, when he said the ball-tracking system was wrong on this one – then at least it is doing better than Paine.
Australia have failed to get any of the nine appeals they have sent to DRS while fielding overturned in the three Tests so far. Who knows how they will resolve that failing at Old Trafford.
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Top marks for Stokes, Tim in a world of Paine: Headingley Ashes Test player ratings
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ENGLAND PLAYER RATINGS Rory Burns, 2 (out of 10) - Still just about in credit across the series, but two failures here showed he has to find more solutions if he is to really crack Test cricket. Reuters -
Jason Roy, 1 - Often seemed to be sledging the Australian batsmen. Which is bold from someone with 57 runs across six inning in the series, with two more failures here. Reuters -
Joe Root, 8 - No runs and just three balls faced between the second innings at Lord’s at the first at Headingley, then a leader’s effort in the second to give England a chance. Reuters -
Joe Denly, 7 - Top scored in England’s first innings with, erm, 12. But his plucky second-innings 50 suggested he could have the goods for this level after all. Reuters -
Ben Stokes, 10 - The greatest Test innings ever played? A little distance is needed for proper perspective on that, but factor in his heroic bowling, too, and he is quite the superstar. Reuters -
Jonny Bairstow, 7 - His second innings 36 was neither big nor matchwinning, but it was a counter-punch that infused England with belief. AFP -
Jos Buttler, 2 - Sawn off by Stokes with a mix up between the wickets when the stage had felt set for them to repeat their World Cup final form, and he remains run shy. AFP -
Chris Woakes (right), 4 - Culpable with the ball as England let Australia off the hook on Day 1, and they could have done with more from him with the bat on the fourth afternoon, too. AFP -
Jofra Archer, 8 - Stole a beach ball back from a steward and chucked it back to the revellers on the Western Terrace. Because he wasn’t enough of a hero already. Reuters -
Stuart Broad, 8 - The box office hits of Stokes and Archer have overshadowed a fine body of work by Broad in this Ashes so far. He was impeccable with the ball at Headingley. AFP -
Jack Leach, 7 - The best one not out he will ever make in his life, he reckons. It gave him a part share in the second highest 10th-wicket stand to win a Test. AFP -
AUSTRALIA PLAYER RATINGS David Warner, 6 - Rode his luck to make his first notable score of the series in the first innings, but he was back in the mire straight away second time around. AFP -
Marcus Harris, 3 - His returns were Cameron Bancroft-like: eight in the first innings, 19 second time round. So Australia’s problems at the top persist AFP -
Usman Khawaja, 4 - He is a shadow of the player who scored an epic century in Dubai against Pakistan last winter, with two more negligible efforts in Leeds. Reuters -
Marnus Labuschagne, 9 - Given the passable impression he has done of the master batsman since replacing him, he might as well be called “Labu-Smith”. It is easier to pronounce than Labuschagne, anyway. Reuters -
Travis Head, 4 - A duck first time around, then 25 in the second innings – but, to be fair to the left-hander, each ball was a peach that dismissed him. Reuters -
Matthew Wade, 5 - The century at Edgbaston apart, he has struggled to bring his domestic form with him on his Test return. He made nought and 33. Reuters -
Tim Paine, 0 - Two more batting failures. A review burnt in desperation, an over before it was really needed. And England scored 362 for nine in the fourth innings on his watch. Horror stuff. Reuters -
James Pattinson, 7 - He was not flattered by match figures of three for 58 as he was a threat throughout, on the ground where his brother played a single Test for England 11 years earlier. Reuters -
Pat Cummins, 7 - Outstanding in the first innings as Australia destroyed England’s top order, but he flagged when the game was there to be won second time around. Reuters -
Nathan Lyon, 4 - He bowled better than match figures of two for 115 suggest, but the botched run out of Leach with England requiring two to win might haunt him forever. Reuters -
Josh Hazlewood, 9 - Even this colossus could not stop Stokes, who took him for 19 in one vital over near the end. Other than that, Hazlewood was magnificent. Reuters
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Nathan Lyon
Hands up who felt sorry for Lyon when he botched the run out of Leach, the ball before that lbw controversy.
For many, his moment of horror was karma. Matt Prior quickly took to social media saying that “mother cricket” had bitten, hoping that a player well known for offering up choice verbal barbs “sleep well”.
Shane Warne bit straight back, saying there’s “no need for silly and immature behaviour”. “No need at all,” added Michael Vaughan, weirdly.
What a shemozzle. Headbutting that line which divides those playing within the Spirit of Cricket from those not always has been a fraught business.
Steve Smith
It is still only 1-1, and England need to win the series if they are to regain the urn, while their visitors only need a half.
Now the plot shifts again, with likely return to the fray of Steve Smith.
All Stokes’ heroics will count for nought if Smith comes back in and immediately plays like he did before the concussion that forced him out of the Headingley match.
He was straight back into the old routine after 16 months out of Test cricket before the first match. So it stands to reason that he should still feel like he knows what he’s doing if he does return to the crease in Manchester, after a hiatus of just a couple of weeks this time.
At least England will feel better equipped to dismiss the man who is averaging 126 in this series, with the emergence of Archer, his nemesis at Lord’s, and perhaps even the return of James Anderson after his calf injury.
