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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England bowler Broad declaring that England will face "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this season.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a clean sweep for the hosts. "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. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash three years later – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

Yet, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the makeup of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the first Test at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to win in Australia as an England side, or any side," Broad remarked on his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their team and question marks over their skipper's condition. It's not unreasonable in believing – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Comparison to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, who would 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 the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Team Decision for England

A major issue for England remains their selection at No 3, with Pope and Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs set up the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s quite an easy decision. They have someone who’s been involved in this preparation for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent a major risk [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 [Zak] Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Commentary Team

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. That will just relieve Pope. 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 Australia as part of the broadcast team of the series, and will be accompanied by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Becky Ives.