Marston’s Pedigree, the official beer of the England cricket team, have teamed up with Britain’s favourite bitter-sweet breakfast spread, Marmite. Out goes the traditional black jar with a yellow lid; in comes a dark-red colour resembling, to our minds at least, a cricket ball.

The “salty spread”, as the Daily Telegraph reported with outstanding elegant variation, have previously produced limited edition versions including one flavoured with champagne, and a Guinness version in 2007.

Who, though, could possibly comment on such a radical change for Britons’ favourite sticky yeast product? Who other than Dickie Bird? "Cricket is like Marmite, entirely eccentric; wholly British and something the rest of the world will never truly understand," he said.

No word on whether Vegemite, the limp Australian alternative to Marmite, has followed suit in a face-off between the two kings of spreads.