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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England bowler Broad declaring that the English side will face "arguably the weakest Australian team since 2010" during their tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a clean sweep for the hosts. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner commented.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match at home since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – 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 Injury Worries for Australia

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any side," Broad remarked during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under 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. It's not unreasonable in believing – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best England squad since 2010. So those things match up to the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who was going to open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. 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 Australia have a decent chance of underperforming."

Selection Decision for England

A major issue for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, believes it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at three," said Cook. "In my view it’s a straightforward choice. You’ve got a player who has been part of this buildup for several years. He’s captained the side, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Shift and Commentary Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he appears a natural fit. That will just take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I doubt it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation 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 UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann provide co-commentary from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the live presentation to be hosted by Becky Ives.