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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring is escalating further, with former England paceman Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will face "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" during their tour this winter.

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner commented.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – on the back of seven losses in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Injury Worries for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the makeup of their top order and the fitness of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any side," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts over their team and concerns over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in believing – 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 in over a decade. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Comparison to Historic Tour

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that you just knew who would open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Team Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number 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 some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, someone you’ve just got rid of? They’ve invested so much in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Shift and Commentary Team

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they have a player in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he seems to be a natural fit. 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 don’t think it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Becky Ives.