It was given plenty of hype in the build-up, but the Ashes opener did not disappoint.
Fitting finale
It seemed only right that after all the issues surrounding the third umpire in the match, it was down to Marius Erasmus to press the button to end the Test.
While Jonathan Trott perished because of the lack of availability of 'Hot Spot' on day two, Haddin was dismissed because of it. England didn't look particularly certain there was an inside edge on his attempt to drive Anderson, but a little white mark - along with the audio being listened to on two different occasions - convinced Mr Erasmus that there was a nick after all.
'Snickometer' confirmed bat had made contact with ball, though that technology is not available to the officials during the game. At least it meant after the earlier controversies the right outcome had eventually been found. Such a tremendous contest didn't deserve to be settled by an error.
It cannot be lost on Australia that the DRS system scuppered their hopes of glory at the finish; they were successful with just two of their nine requests in Nottingham, and crucially couldn't even call for the help of the third umpire after an obvious edge of Stuart Broad's bat during England's second innings.
Captain Michael Clarke admitted in the post-match press conference that it is something he needed to work on, saying: "I'm obviously not happy with my use, as we haven't got many right. It's consistent for both teams."
So what next?
It all felt remarkably like Edgbaston '05 - a Sunday finish, Australia needing 100 with two wickets in hand, England dropping a catch to win the match (Simon Jones was the culprit in Birmingham eight years ago, albeit his effort was just as tough as Finn's) and then pulling a victory out of the fire just as it appeared the game was lost.
Never has lunch been so crucial. With Anderson off with cramp and Haddin and Pattinson making fairly serene progress, the extra half-hour taken to try and bring about a finish did not help the hosts. They returned after the break with their talisman back and with the crowd suddenly raising the volume levels.
Now the sides have to recover quickly and get ready for episode II. The sun seems set to continue to shine (as hard as that is to believe during an English 'summer') but the surface at Lord's should offer more pace and bounce, at least for the first couple of days.
Both management teams will have to consider whether to freshen things up - Ed Cowan looked short of form and confidence at such a crucial position in the Australian order, so does David Warner cancel his flight to Africa and instead come back into the XI? If only Ricky Ponting would delay his retirement for a couple of months...
As for England, the fact that Finn bowled just 10 overs in the fourth and final innings (and only two on the last day) suggests he's struggling for rhythm and also that captain Cook has lost a little faith. Lord's is his home ground, but the dry nature of the surfaces there may suit Tim Bresnan.
