Glorious sunshine greeted the great travelling Ashes circus as it rolled into Manchester, fresh from a week off and braced for the two weeks that will decide this captivating series.

Don't be fooled though, those blue skies were all a ruse. The forecasters have sounded their warnings and both teams have promptly heeded them — there will be rain in this Test match, so adjust accordingly.

If you're planning your viewing schedules for the rest of the week, you can safely bank on some Thursday action but Friday is looking increasingly dicey and Saturday seems like a total write-off. If there is still a result to be chased on Sunday, rain may well get in the way of that too.

The upshot is that England, who need a win in this Test match to avoid Australia retaining the Ashes, is going to be trying to cram a full Test match into about three days' worth of play.

Australia came braced for the weather with its own team selection, picking a side loaded with all-rounders to lengthen the batting order and theoretically make it harder for England take the 20 wickets required. Cameron Green and Mitch Marsh have joined forces at last, adding size and strength to the Australian middle order in more ways than one.

A draw in this Test would be a satisfactory result for Australia. Its overall goal is to win the series, but considering Ashes retention is the first box to be ticked on the way, a stalemate at Old Trafford would be gladly welcomed. All of which makes the batting performance on day one of this Test so frustrating.

It's true to say, simply batting out the day represents a success for Australia considering the forecast and the fact Pat Cummins made it a clean 0-4 at the toss

But a larger opportunity was lost for the tourists on day one through a succession of missed chances and blown starts, platforms built and then swiftly bulldozed by Australian batters currently allergic to partnerships of any great significance.

Just one big score, one big partnership, and this game might already be out of England's reach. Instead a collection of little blunders added up to a bigger one.

It was like the team had been transported back to junior cricket, and each batter had to retire their innings once a previously defined milestone had been met.

David Warner got to 32. Marnus Labuschagne to 51. Steve Smith and Travis Head both in the 40s, Mitch Marsh a blistering 51 of his own.

The wickets always came at the exact moment the guard was lowered for the first time and generally in very meek and infuriating fashion.

Labuschagne and Smith both missed straight balls, were given not out and then sent packing by three red lights on the DRS. Head holed out hooking, to the surprise of nobody.

Marsh could feel the most aggrieved, victim of a Jonny Bairstow blinder that came after a long morning of the England wicketkeeper fumbling straight ones.

But no matter how they fell, each and every wicket handed England a lifeline and released the pressure valve just that little bit more.

Even down to the dying embers of the day, when Alex Carey's lack of commitment to a leave ended an extremely useful stand with Mitchell Starc, Australia did just enough to give England belief for the days ahead.

Considering the strength of batting in this Australian team, great enough to push Carey down to number eight, it feels like reaching stumps was the bare minimum required. And it will take more than the bare minimum to win this series.

Because make no mistake, this England team will not be daunted by the forecast. If anything it will be emboldened by it, freed up by the knowledge that the foot simply must be pressed to the floor for the entirety of this Test to force a result.

With only a little more care or a little more luck, Australia could have doused those flames already. But for another day at least, the Ashes remain entirely up for grabs.