New Delhi, Jan. 1 -- The ongoing Ashes series is redefining how quickly Test matches can move, with bowlers dominating to an extent rarely seen in the contest's long history. Across the four Tests played so far, a wicket has fallen every 40.3 deliveries, the lowest recorded in any Ashes series featuring four or more matches, according to cricket.com.au.

To find a comparable bowling impact, one has to travel all the way back to the 1902 Ashes in England, when a wicket was taken every 47.4 balls. Apart from that series, the only other Ashes contest where bowlers struck at a rate below 50 deliveries per wicket was the 2015 series in England, remembered most vividly for Stuart Broad's extraordinary 8/15 at Trent Bridge.

This series is also ...