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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England bowler Broad declaring that the English side will face "arguably the weakest Australian team since 2010" during their tour this season.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion came as a reply to David Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – predicting a clean sweep for the home side. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a men’s Ashes match at home since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – on the back of seven losses in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Injury Worries for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the makeup of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at Perth because of a back injury.

"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."

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and concerns over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it's a reality – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best England squad since 2010. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration 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 closely resembles 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 being bad."

Selection Dilemma for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, believes it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the last three years.

"I would bat Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward choice. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He has led the team, he’s played some extraordinary innings for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds in first-class cricket. 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 Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", 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 Pope and [Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

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

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering in case of an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he appears well suited to it. This will 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 isn't perfect, but I doubt it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and 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 United Kingdom, while the trio provide co-commentary from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Becky Ives.