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

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting 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 Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – on the back of seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Concerns for Australia

Yet, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at Perth because of a back injury.

"It’s very, very difficult 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 most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and question marks over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. And it’s the best English team since 2010. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration that you just knew who was going to open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they lack that certainty now. It closely resembles a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home and England must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, believes it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward decision. They have someone who’s been involved in this preparation for several years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for England and he scores centuries. He knows how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

Although praising Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent a major risk [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 people like Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Team

Pope has been replaced by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, according to Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. Certainly it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the series, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Becky Ives.