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The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with former England paceman Stuart Broad stating that England will face "arguably the weakest Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this season.

Warner's Confident Forecast Answered by Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim was in response to Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – forecasting a clean sweep for the home side. "If the captain [Pat Cummins] doesn’t play, they might win one game," Warner commented.

Australia have not lost a Ashes match on home soil since England’s series win in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win three years later – on the back of seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Uncertainty and Injury Concerns for Australia

However, the No 1-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, approach the forthcoming contest with uncertainty over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Cummins, who is doubtful to play in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back injury.

"It's extremely challenging to win in Australia as an English team, or any side," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"Australia are under the greatest expectations because they’re expected to win, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their squad and concerns 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. And it’s the best England squad since 2010. So those things match up to the reality that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Comparison to Historic Series

"The Australians have remained so consistent for a prolonged duration that it was clear who would 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 2010-11 when England went and won there. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of underperforming."

Team Decision for England

A major issue for England 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 tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to move away from Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the past three seasons.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at number three," said Cook. "In my view it’s quite an easy choice. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he’s played remarkable performances for England and he scores centuries. He understands how to score hundreds in first-class cricket. If they drop him now, I think that alters the entire balance of what they’ve built up over the recent years."

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because should it fail what is the fallback option, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in players such as Pope and [Crawley that it would be highly odd to change it now."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Team

Ollie 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 in case of an injury to 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. Certainly it will have hurt him because anytime you get taken off a leadership thing it isn't perfect, but I doubt it diminishes his standing."

Cook will be in Australia as part of the broadcast team of the series, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will provide its own audio feed 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 on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the live presentation to be presented by Becky Ives.