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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with ex-England paceman Broad declaring that the English side will confront "arguably the weakest Aussie squad in over a decade" during their tour this season.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Met With Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a 4-0 victory for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner commented.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match on home soil since England’s 3-1 victory 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 Uncertainty and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their batting lineup and the health of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any visiting team," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and concerns over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad since 2010. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who was going to 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 went and won there. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Team Dilemma for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their selection at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Pope at number three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s a straightforward decision. You’ve got someone who’s been involved in this preparation for several years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He understands how to make big scores in first-class cricket. If you get rid of him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work where do you move back to, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in people like Ollie Pope and [Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Change and Commentary Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Brook as England’s vice-captain but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Harry Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. This will 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 doubt it diminishes his standing."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the on-ground coverage to be hosted by Ives.