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The pre-Ashes verbal sparring continues to heat up, with former England paceman Stuart Broad declaring that the English side will face "arguably the weakest Aussie squad since 2010" during their tour this season.

David Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Doubt

Broad's assertion 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 said.

Australia have not lost a men’s 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 previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Squad Doubt and Injury Worries for the Hosts

Yet, 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 health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at Perth because of a back issue.

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

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and concerns over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it is likely the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest England squad in over a decade. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling contest."

Comparison to Historic Series

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would open the innings, who would bat, what bowlers there were, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England traveled and emerged victorious. The fact of the matter 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 performing exceptionally and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Selection Decision for England

A major issue for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Pope and Jacob Bethell vying for the role. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs set up the visitors' series victory 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to move away from Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

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

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would be a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? They have committed heavily in players such as Ollie Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would be such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

Ollie Pope has been replaced by Brook as England’s vice-captain but, according to Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey batsman.

"They’ve been proactive on that, thinking 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 a natural fit. That will just relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I don’t think it undermines him."

Alastair Cook will be in the host nation as part of TNT’s coverage of the series, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Finn and Graeme Swann as in-studio analysts. The network will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will operate a hybrid model, with commentators Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the United Kingdom, while Cook, Finn and Swann provide co-commentary from on location. Rainford-Brent is also part of the commentary team working off-site, with the live presentation to be hosted by Ives.