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

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner commented.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match on home soil since 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 – came before 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Uncertainty and Injury Worries for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the makeup of their batting lineup and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back injury.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any visiting team," Broad remarked on his podcast. "The Australians are massive favourites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations 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 captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010. And it’s the best English team in over a decade. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, 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 be defeated at home and England must excel. England have a great chance of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Selection Dilemma for England

A major issue for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, believes it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I would bat Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s quite an easy choice. You’ve got a player who has been part of this buildup for several years. He has led the team, he has delivered remarkable performances for England and he scores centuries. He knows how to make big scores in the domestic game. 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 "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be a major risk [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 Pope and [Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Broadcast Team

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, according to Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey right-hander.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking if there is an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he seems to be well suited to it. This will take the pressure off. I believe it won't weaken his position. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Becky Ives.