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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring is escalating further, with ex-England paceman Broad declaring that England will confront "probably the worst Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a clean sweep for the hosts. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match on home soil after England's series win in the 2010-11 tour. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash three years later – on the back of seven losses in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 Ashes triumphs in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Injury Concerns for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with questions over the composition of their batting lineup and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any side," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks 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 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team since 2010. So those things point towards 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 you just knew who would open the batting, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. 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 must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for the English camp remains their selection at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the visitors' series victory over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number three," said Cook. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. You’ve got a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to make big scores in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I believe that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

Although praising Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, 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 change it now."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as England’s vice-captain but, according to Cook, that will "take the pressure off" the Surrey right-hander.

"The management has acted decisively on that, considering if there is an injury to Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Harry Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he seems to be well suited to it. This will relieve Pope. I don’t think undermine him. Certainly it will have disappointed him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it wouldn’t be ideal, but I don’t think it undermines him."

Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while the trio deliver expert analysis from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be hosted by Becky Ives.