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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England paceman Broad stating that England will confront "arguably the weakest Australian team since 2010" on tour this winter.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a clean sweep for the home side. "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 after England's 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win in the following series – following seven defeats in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Team Doubt and Fitness Concerns for Australia

However, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an English team, or any visiting team," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts 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 is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team since 2010. These factors match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic 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 went and won there. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Dilemma for England

A major issue for England remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the visitors' series victory over a decade past, believes it would be "unusual" for Stokes' team to move away from Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I would bat Pope at three," said Cook. "I think it’s a straightforward decision. They have 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’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

While hailing Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, someone you’ve just got rid of? They have committed heavily in people like Pope and [Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Captaincy Shift and Commentary Crew

Pope has been replaced by Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, according to Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is 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 take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from 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 Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.