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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with former England paceman Broad declaring that England will face "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" during their tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

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

Australia have not lost a men’s Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win in the following series – on the back of seven losses in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Uncertainty and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

Yet, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the makeup of their batting lineup and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to win in Australia as an English team, or any visiting team," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their team and concerns over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. These factors match up to the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Parallel to Historic Series

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they lack that certainty now. It closely resembles a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their selection at No 3, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the visitors' series victory over a decade past, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Pope at three," Cook stated. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. You’ve got someone who’s been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played remarkable performances for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

Although praising Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They have committed heavily in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to change it now."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Crew

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering in case of an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. That will just take the pressure off. I believe it won't weaken his position. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the series, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis 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.