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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with former England bowler Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will face "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this winter.

Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Doubt

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner said.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match on home soil since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – following seven defeats in their last nine matches – came before 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for Australia

Yet, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to win in Australia as an England side, or any visiting team," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks 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 fact – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best English team in over a decade. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to Historic Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It closely resembles a similar situation to 2010-11 when England went and won there. 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 the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A key question for England remains their selection at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. They have someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Crew

Ollie 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 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 everyone has seen that he seems to be well suited to it. That will just relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the series, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the United Kingdom, while the trio deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Becky Ives.