From England's new captain Alec Stewart pitting his wits against the established Proteas leader Hansie Cronje, to Shaun Pollock promising - and delivering - plenty in the way of short pitched bowling to the compulsively hooking Nasser Hussain; England v South Africa at Trent Bridge in 1998 had sub-plots aplenty.
Allan Donald versus Michael Atherton was about to trump them all.
In Stewart’s first Test as leader of his country and with Andrew Flintoff on debut, the hosts perhaps gave ground to their tourists that year in terms of experience, and had avoided going 2-0 down in the series by the very skin of their teeth in the previous fixture at Old Trafford.
Known for their gargantuan battles over the years, never more so than during Atherton's match-saving 185 not out at Johannesburg in 1995, what happened at Trent Bridge was about to trump all that had gone before...
On the eve of the fourth Test match between England v South Africa, Sir Garfield Sobers officially opened the new Radcliffe Road Stand. The match was to be witnessed by 49,820 people across the five days.
Andrew Flintoff, on debut, claimed a noticeable first scalp, and just his eighth in first-class cricket, when removing Jacques Kallis for 47. The future England immortal, however, collected a pair with the bat.
South African captain Hansie Cronje was integral to his side's first innings score of 374, scoring 126, his sixth century in Test match cricket, before eventually being dismissed by England workhorse Angus Fraser.
Fraser, who had returned just two wickets in the previous two matches, repayed the faith of the selectors to take ten wickets in the game, and 5-60 in the first innings.
Mark Butcher joined Michael Atherton for the England reply, the pair putting on 145 for the first wicket, their third century stand, with the former top scoring on this occasion with 75.
However, South Africa came roaring back, with strike bowler Allan Donald taking 5-109 to hand the tourists a 38-run lead after the first innings.
South Africa began poorly in their second innings, and it was left to Daryl Cullinan (56) and Cronje (67) to perform a rescue act and set England 247 to level the series, with a day and a half to go. With Donald steaming in and England having not chased a total of that size in the fourth innings since 1902, it was going to be anything but straighforward.
Having had a caught behind decision off Atherton turned down, followed by an inside edge to the boundary, the fired up Donald produced one of the spells of his career to rattle the England opener with a barrage of hostile, short-pitched bowling.
With 11,000 in attendance, Alec Stewart cashed in on his old ally's stubborn resistance, racing to an unbeaten 34-ball 45 as England powered over the finish line late on the fourth day.
However, the headlines would ultimately be about Atherton's ability to stand up to Donald's ferocious spell; the former captain ending the match on 98 not out, as England won by eight wickets.
Stewart offered to hold up an end to ensure that Atherton reached a well deserved century, but the Lancashire opener was not interested and ran off the field triumphantly having secured an eight wicket triumph.
The result levelled the series at 1-1 with one to play, and England went on to secure the Cornhill Trophy with a 23-run victory at Headingley in the deciding Test.
England return to Nottingham in 2017 to face South Africa and the West Indies. With tickets now on general sale, don't miss the chance to see some of the most exciting sides in world cricket go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.