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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring is escalating further, with former England paceman Broad stating that England will face "probably the worst Australian team in over a decade" on tour this season.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – forecasting a clean sweep for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a men’s Ashes match on home soil after England's 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win three years later – 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.

Squad Uncertainty and Injury Concerns for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the makeup of their batting lineup and the health of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play 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 England side, or any visiting team," Broad remarked during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their team and concerns over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best England squad since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a long period of time that it was clear who was going to open the innings, who would 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 performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s a straightforward decision. 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 knows how to make big scores 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 Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "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’ve invested so much in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

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 in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry 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 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 undermines him."

Cook will be in the host nation 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 operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site 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 live presentation to be hosted by Ives.