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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England paceman Broad declaring that England will confront "arguably the weakest Aussie squad since 2010" during their tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Skepticism

Broad's assertion came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – predicting a 4-0 victory 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 since England’s 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 tour. Their 5-0 win three years later – on the back of seven defeats in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Uncertainty and Injury Worries for the Hosts

Yet, 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 top order and the health of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at Perth because of a back injury.

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

"The Aussies face the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and question marks over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. These factors point towards the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to Historic Tour

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that it was clear who was going to open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It’s very much 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 have to be very good. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Decision for England

A key question for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose prolific scoring paved the way for the visitors' series victory over a decade past, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at number three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s a straightforward decision. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for England and he scores centuries. He understands how to make big scores in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I believe that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the recent years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook said: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Shift and Commentary Crew

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

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they have a player 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 take the pressure off. I believe it won't weaken his position. Certainly 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."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Graeme Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Hatch based remotely in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.