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

Warner's Confident Forecast Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a clean sweep for the home side. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner commented.

Australia have not lost a men’s Ashes match on home soil since England’s series win in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win 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.

Squad Uncertainty and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their batting lineup and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any side," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face 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 – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. So those things match up to the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a comparable scenario to 2010-11 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 being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Team Decision for the Visitors

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I would bat Pope at three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s a straightforward decision. You’ve got a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He has led the team, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He understands how to make big scores 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 recent years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work where do you move back to, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in players such as Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Captaincy Shift and Broadcast Crew

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering if there is an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. That will just relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. Certainly it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.