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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England bowler Broad stating that England will confront "arguably the weakest Aussie squad in over a decade" on tour this winter.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim was in response 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.

Australia have not lost a men’s Ashes match at home after England's 3-1 victory in 2010-11. Their 5-0 win in the following series – following seven defeats in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Worries for the Hosts

However, the No 1-ranked Test side, who have suffered just a single defeat of their last thirteen series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the composition of their top order and the fitness of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the opening match at the Perth stadium because of a back issue.

"It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any side," said Broad on his podcast. "Australia have to be massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got question marks over their team and concerns over their captain’s fitness. You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since the 2010 era. And it’s the best England squad in over a decade. These factors match up to the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant contest."

Parallel to 2010-11 Tour

"Australia have been highly stable for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were, and they lack that certainty now. It closely resembles a comparable scenario to the 2010-11 period when England went and won there. The reality is the Aussies typically need to underperform to lose in Australia and England must excel. England have a great chance of performing exceptionally and Australia have a decent chance of being bad."

Selection Dilemma for England

A key question 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 tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "unusual" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a consistent at first drop for the last three years.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at three," said Cook. "In my view it’s a straightforward choice. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for the national side and he scores centuries. He knows how to score hundreds in the domestic game. If they drop him now, I think that alters the entire balance of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

Although praising Bethell as "a hugely gifted cricketer", Cook added: "It would represent a major risk [to pick him] because should it fail where do you move back to, a player you recently discarded? They’ve invested so much in players such as Pope and [Zak] Crawley that it would seem such a strange thing to make a switch at this stage."

Leadership Shift and Commentary Crew

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 in case of an injury to Stokes, they have a player in Brook who has led the ODI team 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. I’m sure it will have disappointed him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role it isn't perfect, but I don’t think it undermines him."

Cook will be in Australia as part of TNT’s coverage of the Ashes, and will be joined by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with play-by-play announcers Alastair Eykyn and Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while Cook, Finn and Swann deliver expert analysis from Australia. Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team working off-site, with the live presentation to be hosted by Becky Ives.