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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with ex-England bowler Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will face "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" during their tour this season.

Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a clean sweep for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

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 three years later – on the back of seven losses in their last nine matches – came before 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Uncertainty and Injury Worries for Australia

Yet, the top-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the composition of their top order and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back injury.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any visiting team," said Broad during his podcast. "The Australians are massive favourites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their team and concerns over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team since 2010. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Comparison to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the innings, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Team Dilemma for England

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win over a decade past, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to move away from Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at number three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward decision. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

Although praising Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", 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 players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Team

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

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he seems to be a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think undermine him. Certainly it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it isn't perfect, 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 joined by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the United Kingdom, while the trio provide co-commentary from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Ives.