The two countries have enjoyed a fierce yet largely friendly rivalry in numerous sports, with cricket arguably the most intriguing and fascinating.

Yes, there is rugby (both union and league), while British supporters will take great pleasure in reminding their Australian counterparts just how far they finished above their great adversaries on the medal table at last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

But there is nothing quite like that first Ashes Test match, either down under or on British shores. There is nothing quite like the atmosphere and the tension coupled with the very deepest desire to triumph when the two sides take to the field.

And there is nothing either fanbase likes more than to see the other one fail. The more catastrophic, the better, particularly if they are the ones instigating it.

Yet you cannot help but feel even the slightest bit of sympathy for Australia this week, whose International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy hopes have been wrecked by a combination of the weather and an on-going row with their governing body back home.

It could, and probably should, have been so different for the Aussies, although they themselves were on the right side of lady luck as they appeared to be heading for defeat in their opening match against New Zealand before the rain made a telling and ultimately fatal contribution.

In their Group A encounter with Bangladesh, they reached 83-1 in pursuit of a comfortably-achievable target of 183 before the rain intervened and dampened their chances of victory.

They were 44 runs ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis method – used to determine the winner of rain-affected matches – and needed to play on for just four more overs to essentially wrap up a victory which would have got their Champions Trophy campaign up and running.

Instead, the rain came down and the match was abandoned, leaving captain Steve Smith visibly frustrated. Australians are notoriously outspoken but his frustrations on this occasion were totally understandable.

“The groundsmen perhaps could have had more urgency, but I think they did the best job they could,” said Smith after the match.

“I was happy to keep playing through the rain. But the umpires are there to make a decision.

“There was a drinks break at the end of that over which probably didn’t help. If the game had carried on perhaps they would have had a different opinion.”

His comments also brought back a prominent issue in the game back into the spotlight and one which can be related to other sports such as tennis. With such a hectic schedule – the Champions Trophy began on June 1 and will finish with next Sunday’s (June 18) final – there is simply no room for alternative days to be pencilled in should a result not be reached.

Of course, the weather cannot be controlled, but its effects on the sport itself can to an extent. You could schedule contingency days to ensure matches are played to a result rather than cancelled but what do you do if they are then abandoned?

The ICC, like other sporting organisations, find themselves in a difficult position. They cannot have one of their flagship events tainted so badly by the weather but they need to pack in as much cricket as they can each year to reap the financial benefits.

Some will have the cliched view that the luck at these type of major events evens itself out eventually, and they may have a point. But the ICC must find a way to level the playing field sooner rather than later.

In hindsight, choosing England and Wales as hosts for a June competition was not the smartest idea. But there are not many places in the world where you are guaranteed pristine conditions on a daily basis.

Cricket is not the only sport which suffers from this. You may recall last year’s French Open at Roland Garros, where a whole day’s play was washed out for the first time since 2000.

That affected the game’s protagonists in different ways. Some benefited from it while others, such as then world number one Novak Djokovic, were hindered. He was forced to play four matches in six days but, thankfully for the Serb, it mattered little as he won them all on his way to completing his career Grand Slam.

While this year’s French Open will be remembered for the emphatic return of Rafael Nadal - who could win a staggering 10th title on the red clay at Roland Garros if he emerges victorious in tomorrow's final against Stanislas Wawrinka – and the exploits of unseeded Latvian sensation Jeļena Ostapenko, who clinched the women’s crown today, the same cannot be said of the Champions Trophy.

Unfortunately, the first week of the event has been dominated by the rain and one-sided matches, until Bangladesh decided to come to the party yesterday as they stunned New Zealand with a quite breath-taking display of batting.

Shakib al-Hasan and Mahmudullah were the architects of a day Bangladesh will never forget as they both hit centuries in a record-breaking stand of 224. Their performance in a shock five-wicket triumph would also have been greeted with glee among the ICC bigwigs, who had been craving a moment like this. A moment where the tournament finally came to life.

That feeling may reverberate around the rest of the competition from now on in, particularly with England’s thrilling clash with their nemesis at Edgbaston in Birmingham today, which they won as Ben Stokes hit 102 not out before rain called another game short involving the Aussies.

It has every chance of doing so, providing the weather plays its part. Rain rain go away, as they say...