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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with former England bowler Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" on tour this season.

Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a clean sweep for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner commented.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match at home after England's series win in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Injury Worries for Australia

However, the top-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the composition of their batting lineup and the fitness of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an English team, or any side," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and question marks over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. And it’s the best English team in over a decade. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles 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 be defeated at home and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Team Decision for England

A key question for the English camp remains their selection at No 3, with Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s a straightforward choice. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered some extraordinary innings for England and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds 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 Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in people like Pope and [Crawley that it would be highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Shift and Broadcast Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, as per Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey right-hander.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen 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 whenever you're removed from a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I doubt it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann provide co-commentary from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Becky Ives.