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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England paceman Stuart Broad stating that the English side will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this season.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

Broad's assertion was in response to David Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – forecasting a clean sweep 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 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win in the following series – following seven defeats in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for Australia

However, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their batting lineup and the health of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back injury.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any side," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their team and concerns over their captain’s fitness. 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. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team since 2010. So those things point towards the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Parallel to Historic Series

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team 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. "I think it’s a straightforward decision. You’ve got 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 understands how to score hundreds in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? 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."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Team

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

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears a natural fit. That will just take the pressure off. 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 undermines him."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Ives.