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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England paceman Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" on tour this winter.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – 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 Ashes match on home soil since England’s 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – on the back of seven losses in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Injury Concerns for Australia

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the composition of their batting lineup and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match 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 on 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 question marks over their squad and concerns over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it is likely the worst Australian team since 2010. And it’s the best English team since 2010. These factors match up to the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Comparison to 2010-11 Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who was going to open the batting, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. 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 the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at number three," said Cook. "I think it’s quite an easy 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 score hundreds in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They have committed heavily in players such as Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Commentary Team

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he seems to be a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. Certainly it will have disappointed 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 Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Ives.