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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England bowler Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this season.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to 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 said.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match at home since England’s 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – on the back of seven losses in their previous nine Tests – came before 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Uncertainty and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

Yet, 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 top order and the health 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 during his podcast. "The Australians are massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and concerns over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. These factors match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that you just knew who was going to open the innings, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The fact of the matter 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 performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of underperforming."

Selection Dilemma for England

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, believes it would be "unusual" for Stokes' team to abandon Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Pope at three," said Cook. "In my view it’s quite an easy decision. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered some extraordinary innings for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", 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 players such as Pope and [Crawley that it would be highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Shift and Broadcast Team

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears a natural fit. That will just relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann provide co-commentary from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Becky Ives.