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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring continues to heat up, with former England paceman Broad stating that the English side will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad in over a decade" during their tour this winter.

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – forecasting a clean sweep 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 at home since England’s 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – came before 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Injury Worries for Australia

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the makeup of their top order and the health of 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 side," said Broad on 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 question marks over their team and concerns over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. These factors match up to the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Parallel to Historic Series

"Australia have been highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a comparable scenario to 2010-11 when England went and won there. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to be defeated at home and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Dilemma for England

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at the number three position, with Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Pope at number three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s quite an easy choice. They have someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would be a big, big gamble [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They’ve invested so much in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Commentary Crew

Pope has been replaced by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, as per Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey right-hander.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he seems to be a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. I’m sure it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I doubt it undermines him."

Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann provide co-commentary from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be hosted by Becky Ives.