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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England paceman Stuart Broad stating that England will face "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" on tour this season.

Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Doubt

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply 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 men’s 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 last nine matches – came before 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns 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 batting lineup and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"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 strong favorites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and concerns over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that you just knew who would open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home 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 the number three position, with Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at three," said Cook. "In my view it’s a straightforward decision. They have a player who has been part of this buildup for several years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for England and he scores centuries. He knows how to make big scores in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would be a big, big gamble [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They’ve invested so much in people like Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Commentary Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by 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 taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. This will relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. Certainly it will have hurt him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it undermines him."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the live presentation to be hosted by Becky Ives.