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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with ex-England bowler Stuart Broad stating that England will face "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" on tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to David Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – predicting a clean sweep for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner commented.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match at home since England’s series win in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

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, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the makeup of their top order and the health of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any visiting team," Broad remarked during his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks over their team and concerns over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to 2010-11 Tour

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the innings, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of underperforming."

Selection Decision for England

A key question for England remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at number three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward decision. They have a player who has been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

While hailing Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in players such as Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Team

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

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he appears well suited to it. 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 thing it wouldn’t be ideal, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Becky Ives.