THE STORY FROM MANCHESTER: DAY 1 INSIGHT
By James Wallace

At 3:26PM, the sun was beating down on a soporific Old Trafford. The atmosphere strangely limp. The beer snakes being created in the temporary stand even looked forlorn. The odd weary cheer could be heard from the stands, but they weren’t for anything happening on the pitch.
That’s because England’s Ashes chances seemed to be slipping away, again. Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head had put on 63 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership, though to English fans it somehow felt like many more. With weather due to knock out the latter ...