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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with former England bowler Stuart Broad stating that the English side will confront "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this winter.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Met With Skepticism

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match on home soil since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – following seven defeats in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the composition of their batting lineup and the health of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any visiting team," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and concerns over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the batting, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a comparable scenario to 2010-11 when England went and won there. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for England

A major issue for England remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s quite an easy choice. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They’ve invested so much in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem highly odd to change it now."

Captaincy Change and Commentary Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Brook as England’s vice-captain but, according to Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. Certainly it will have hurt him because anytime you get taken off a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Ives.