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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England paceman Broad declaring that the English side will confront "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this winter.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

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

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match on home soil since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – on the back of seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – came before 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their batting lineup and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any visiting team," Broad remarked during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"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 concerns over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it’s probably the worst Australian team since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad in over a decade. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to 2010-11 Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration that you just knew who was going to open the batting, 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 went and won there. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Team Decision for England

A major issue for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs 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 regular at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward choice. You’ve got someone who’s been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He understands how to score hundreds 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."

While hailing Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent 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 have committed heavily in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Shift and Commentary Team

Pope has been replaced by Harry 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 if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they have a player in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. That will just take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. I’m sure it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I doubt it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site 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 Ives.