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

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Skepticism

Broad's assertion was in response to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

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

Team Uncertainty and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest 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 injury.

"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 question marks over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad in over a decade. So those things point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that it was clear who was going to open the innings, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Team Dilemma for the Visitors

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs set up the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, believes it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number three," Cook stated. "I think it’s quite an easy choice. You’ve got a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent 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 seem such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, according to Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey right-hander.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking if there is an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he seems to be a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I believe it won't undermine him. Certainly it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership thing it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the United Kingdom, while the trio provide co-commentary from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.