Manchester's Old Trafford ground is steeped in cricket history.

It was the venue where Jim Laker seized an unprecedented 19 wickets for just 90 runs against Australia in 1956 to orchestrate an innings triumph in the Fourth Test; and where Shane Warne produced what was subsequently described as the "Ball of the Century" to remove Mike Gatting in 1993, even though the portly batsman's partner, Graham Gooch, remarked later that the delivery wouldn't have got past him if it had been a cheese roll.

Yet, when the Australians recommence their flailing Ashes campaign in Manchester this morning, they will be conscious they could enter the sport's chronicles for entirely the wrong reasons during the next few days.

Having lost their last six Tests, the tourists must find a means of ending that sorry sequence or become the first baggy-green ensemble since 1888 to taste defeat in seven consecutive matches. And, on the evidence of what is likely to be a spin-friendly surface, with conditions expected to deteriorate for batsmen on a sun-burnished pitch after the first two days, they are nobody's favourites to transform matters and keep themselves in contention to win back the prized urn.

They can only achieve that with victory – a draw is no use – so the situation cries out for Michael Clarke's personnel to be bold, adventurous and attacking.

That brings us neatly to David Warner, a chap who, in recent times, has seemed perfectly capable of turning any minor kerfuffle into a full-scale diplomatic incident.

There was his Twitter attack on senior Australian journalists during the winter; his physical assault on England's Joe Root in the Walkabout Bar in Birmingham in June; and his more recent involvement in an on-field altercation with South African A wicket-keeper, Thami Tsolekile, which forced the umpires to intervene though no further action was taken.

Warner, who originally sprung to fame in Twenty20, appears to take his country's "Big Bash" competition a tad too literally. But he can definitely play, as he demonstrated while hitting a boundary-studded 193 during that aforementioned match in the Cape.

The trouble is that Warner hasn't faced too many opponents of the calibre of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann during his brief international career and, when he has, his technique has been exposed. Befitting his nature, he wants to dominate rivals, seize contests by the scruff of the neck, and parade his full repertoire of shots, which is fine in a limited-overs battle. But it doesn't prove so effective in a more protracted format where the Australians need big runs – nobody in their ranks has scored a century since Clarke's 130 in Chennai in February. Pretty 20s and belligerent 30s will not suffice. The visitors must hope they win the toss, go in first and find a means of amassing a score in excess of 400.

To some extent, the Oz-based media have begun to adopt a gallows humour. Some of them regard the present situation as being hopeless, whatever approach is instigated by Clarke and the team's new coach, Darren Lehmann. Indeed, one of their number wrote this week: "Warner could hardly be more of a risk-taker if his hobby was sky-diving. The Australians need to push him out of a plane and see if his parachute opens."

Another worrying aspect is that even if Warner rises to the challenge, his bowlers have to find a means of taking 20 wickets. A decade ago, that wouldn't have been a concern, not with Warne, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee in the ranks.

Whereas now, with James Pattinson out of the series, Steven Smith struggling for fitness and Ryan Harris always on the verge of suffering a fresh injury, Lehmann has to ask himself whether he should pick two spinners when he doesn't even have one who is truly equipped for the job.

England will probably pursue that option, once Alastair Cook has given a cursory glance at the tinder-like Old Trafford pitch. But he has the luxury of being able to opt for Swann and Monty Panesar, a duo in a different galaxy from their Aussie counterparts.

Ashton Agar might, eventually, develop into a world-class performer, but he is nowhere near that status at the moment, while Nathan Lyon was handed the chance to regain his place against Sussex last weekend and responded with one for 99. Terrifying, non!

As matters stand, England are in positive mood, comforted by the knowledge James Taylor has the requisite qualities to thrive if he needs to replace Kevin Pietersen, who will take a late fitness test. They could afford to drop Steven Finn and call up Chris Tremlett and still have the demeanour of champions. Australia, in contrast, are a bedraggled bunch and their plight was summed up by their former captain, Ian Chappell, this week.

"Far too many members of Clarke's team are batting mainly for survival and he is saddled with the flawed products of a once-great system, which has been allowed to decay," said Chappell. And it's not as if the administrators weren't warned. The board's response has brought to mind the words of Don McLean in his hit song Vincent: "They would not listen / They did not know how / Perhaps they'll listen now."

But, for the moment, the die is cast. David Warner, the actor, lost his head in "The Omen." We can anticipate a fresh dose of horror for his cricketing namesake and his compatriots once play begins today.