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

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion was in response to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner said.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match at home after England's series win in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win three years later – following seven losses in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Injury Concerns for Australia

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at Perth because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any visiting team," Broad remarked during his podcast. "The Australians are strong favorites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts 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 reality – it is likely the worst Australian team since the 2010 era. And it’s the best English team since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Parallel to Historic Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, who would bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a similar situation to 2010-11 when England went and won there. The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Team Dilemma for the Visitors

A major issue for the English camp remains their selection at the number three position, with Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose prolific scoring set up the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to move away from Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

"I'd select Pope at number three," Cook stated. "I think it’s a straightforward choice. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this buildup for several years. He has led the team, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to make big scores in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I think that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

While hailing Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in players such as Ollie Pope and [Crawley that it would be highly odd to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Change and Broadcast Team

Pope has been replaced by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey right-hander.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Harry Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. That will just take the pressure off. I don’t think weaken his position. Certainly it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

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 play-by-play announcers 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 commentary team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be hosted by Ives.