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

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to David Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – forecasting a 4-0 victory for the home side. "Should the skipper [Pat Cummins] be absent, they could perhaps snatch a single victory," Warner said.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – following seven losses in their last nine matches – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Injury Worries for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the composition of their batting lineup and the health of Pat Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the first Test at Perth because of a back injury.

"It’s very, very difficult to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any side," Broad remarked during his podcast. "The Australians are strong favorites."

"Australia are under the most pressure 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 captain’s fitness. It's not unreasonable in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it's a reality – 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 fact that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the batting, who would 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 fact of the matter is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for England remains their choice at the number three position, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Stokes' team to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the last three years.

"I would bat Pope at number three," said Cook. "In my view it’s quite an easy choice. You’ve got a player who has been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He understands how to score hundreds in first-class cricket. 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 Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent 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 [Zak] Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Team

Pope has been succeeded by Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per 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’ve got a guy in Brook who has led the ODI team and it's evident that he appears a natural fit. This will take the pressure off. I don’t think undermine him. I’m sure it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from 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 series, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will provide its own audio feed but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the on-ground coverage to be presented by Ives.