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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with ex-England paceman Broad declaring that the English side will face "probably the worst Aussie squad in over a decade" during their tour this winter.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner commented.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match at home after England's series win in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – following seven losses in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Uncertainty and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the composition of their batting lineup and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back injury.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any side," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and concerns over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it’s probably the worst Australian team since the 2010 era. And it’s the best English team since 2010. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to Historic Series

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the innings, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to be defeated at home and England must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Team Decision for England

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at number three," said Cook. "In my view it’s quite an easy choice. You’ve got a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He has led the team, he has delivered some extraordinary innings for England and he scores centuries. He understands how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would be a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They’ve invested so much in people like Ollie Pope and [Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Commentary Crew

Ollie 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.

"They’ve been proactive on that, thinking if there is an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he seems to be a natural fit. That will just take the pressure off. I believe it won't undermine him. 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."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network 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 provide co-commentary from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Becky Ives.