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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 confront "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this season.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

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

Australia have not lost a Ashes match on home soil since England’s series win in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash three years later – on the back of seven losses in their last nine matches – came before 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the composition of their batting lineup and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any visiting team," Broad remarked during his podcast. "The Australians are strong favorites."

"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 question marks over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. These factors match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Comparison to Historic Series

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Decision for England

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at the number three position, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the visitors' series victory over a decade past, thinks it would be "unusual" for Stokes' team to abandon Ollie 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 a straightforward choice. 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 some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to make big scores 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 Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [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 Pope and [Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey batsman.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. This will relieve Pope. I believe it won't weaken his position. Certainly it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Ives.