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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England bowler Stuart Broad stating that the English side will face "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" during their tour this season.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

Broad's assertion came as a reply to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – predicting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner said.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match at home since England’s series win in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – on the back of seven losses in their previous nine Tests – came before 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

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 top order and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play 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 side," Broad remarked on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and question marks over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team since 2010. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Comparison to 2010-11 Tour

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the innings, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The fact of the matter 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 underperforming."

Team Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for the English camp remains their selection at No 3, with Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the visitors' series victory over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at number three," Cook stated. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. You’ve got a player who has been part of this buildup for three or four years. He has led the team, he has delivered some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to score hundreds in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in people like Pope and [Crawley that it would seem highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Crew

Ollie Pope has been replaced by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, according to Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey right-hander.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears a natural fit. That will just relieve Pope. I believe it won't weaken his position. I’m sure it will have hurt him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be hosted by Ives.