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The war of words before the Ashes is escalating further, with ex-England bowler Broad declaring that England will confront "arguably the weakest Aussie squad since 2010" on tour this season.

David Warner's Bold Prediction Answered by Doubt

The former England bowler's claim was in response to David Warner – a long-time Ashes rival – 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.

The Aussies remain undefeated in a Ashes match on home soil after England's series win in 2010-11. The subsequent 5-0 whitewash in the following series – on the back of seven defeats in their last nine matches – came before 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Squad Doubt and Fitness Concerns for the Hosts

However, the top-ranked Test team, who have suffered just a single defeat of their past 13 bilateral series, approach the forthcoming contest with questions over the makeup of their top order and the health of Pat Cummins, who is unlikely to feature 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 massive favourites."

"The Aussies face the most pressure because they’re expected to win, they’re formidable in home conditions, but they’ve got question marks over their team 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’s probably the weakest Aussie lineup since 2010. Meanwhile, it's the strongest English team in over a decade. So those things match up to the fact that it’s going to be a thrilling Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained 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 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 must excel. England have a great chance of being very good and the Australians face a real possibility of being bad."

Selection Dilemma for the Visitors

A major issue for the English camp remains their choice at No 3, with Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell contesting the spot. Alastair Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win 15 years ago, thinks it would be "strange" for Ben Stokes’ side to abandon Ollie Pope, who has been a regular at number three for the last three years.

"I would bat Pope at number three," Cook stated. "I think it’s quite an easy decision. They have a player who has been part of this buildup for several years. He has led the team, he’s played remarkable performances for the national side 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 think that changes the whole dynamic of the foundation they've established over the last few years."

While hailing Jacob Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook added: "It would represent a big, big gamble [to pick him] because if that doesn’t work 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 seem such a strange thing to change it now."

Leadership Shift and Broadcast Team

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

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering in case of an injury to Ben 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 undermine him. Certainly it will have hurt him because whenever you're removed from a leadership role 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 Ashes, and will be accompanied by former Ashes champions Steven Finn and Swann as on-the-ground pundits. The channel 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 provide co-commentary from Australia. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Ives.