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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring continues to heat up, with ex-England paceman Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will face "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" on tour this season.

Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – 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 at home since England’s series win in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win in the following series – on the back of seven defeats in their last nine matches – came before 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the composition of their batting lineup and the fitness of Pat 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 English team, or any visiting team," said Broad during his podcast. "The Australians are strong favorites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and question marks over their captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in believing – this isn't merely a view, it’s a fact – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. And it’s the best English team since 2010. These factors point towards the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Comparison to Historic Series

"Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the innings, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It closely resembles a similar situation to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to be defeated at home and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Team Decision for the Visitors

A key question for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s quite an easy decision. They have a player who has been involved in this preparation for several years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows how to make big scores in the domestic game. If you get rid of him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the last few years."

Although praising Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in people like Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem highly odd to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Broadcast Crew

Pope has been succeeded by Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey right-hander.

"The management has acted decisively on that, thinking in case of an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and everyone has seen that he seems to be a natural fit. That will just relieve Pope. I don’t think undermine him. Certainly it will have hurt him because anytime you get taken off a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I don’t think it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in the host nation as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Eykyn and Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while the trio deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.