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

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to David Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – predicting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a men’s Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – on the back of seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Doubt and Injury Worries for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the composition of their batting lineup and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the first Test 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 on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and question marks over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it’s probably the worst Australian team since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team in over a decade. These factors match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Tour

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who was going to open the innings, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for England

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs set up the visitors' series victory over a decade past, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

"I'd select Pope at three," Cook stated. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. You’ve got a player who has been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to make big scores in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work 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 be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he seems to be a natural fit. That will just relieve Pope. I don’t think weaken his position. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership thing it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Graeme Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the United Kingdom, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Ives.