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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with former England bowler Broad declaring that England will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad since 2010" during their tour this winter.

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – predicting 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 Ashes match on home soil after England's series win in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash three years later – following seven defeats in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the makeup of their top order and the health of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at Perth because of a back issue.

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

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their team and concerns over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in thinking – 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 since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a long period of time that you just knew who would open the batting, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they lack that certainty now. It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Selection Dilemma for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their selection at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the visitors' series victory over a decade past, believes it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Pope at number three," said Cook. "In my view it’s a straightforward choice. They have someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He understands how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

While hailing Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be 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 have committed heavily in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Brook as England’s vice-captain but, according to Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, thinking in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he seems to be well suited to it. That will just take the pressure off. I believe it won't undermine him. Certainly it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off 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 the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Becky Ives.