🔗 Share this article

The war of words before the Ashes continues to heat up, with ex-England paceman Broad declaring that the English side will confront "probably the worst Australian team since 2010" during their tour this winter.

Warner's Bold Prediction Met With Skepticism

The former England bowler's claim came as a reply to Warner – an Ashes foe of Broad’s – 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 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 losses in their previous nine Tests – was followed by 4-0 series victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Team Doubt and Injury Concerns for the Hosts

Yet, the top-ranked Test side, who have lost only one of their past 13 bilateral series, enter the upcoming assignment with uncertainty over the makeup of their batting lineup and the health of Cummins, who is unlikely to feature in the first Test at Perth because of a back injury.

"It's extremely challenging to triumph on Australian soil as an England side, or any visiting team," said Broad during his podcast. "Australia have to be strong favorites."

"Australia are under the most pressure because they’re anticipated to prevail, they’re brilliant at home, but they’ve got doubts over their squad and question marks over their skipper's condition. You wouldn’t be outlandish in believing – 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 English team since 2010. So those things point towards the fact that it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series."

Parallel to 2010-11 Series

"The Australians have remained highly stable for a long period of time that it was clear who was going to open the innings, who was going to bat, which bowlers were available, and they don’t have that. It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England went and won there. The reality is Australia generally have to be bad to be defeated at home and England must excel. The English have a solid opportunity of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of underperforming."

Selection Decision for the Visitors

A major issue for the English camp remains their selection at No 3, with Pope and Bethell vying for the role. Cook, whose 766 runs paved the way for the tourists’ series win over a decade past, believes it would be "strange" for Stokes' team to abandon Pope, who has been a regular at first drop for the last three years.

"I'd select Ollie Pope at three," Cook stated. "In my view it’s quite an easy decision. You’ve got a player who has been part of this buildup for three or four years. He’s captained the side, he has delivered remarkable performances for England and he’s a hundred-maker. He knows 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 last few years."

Although praising Bethell as "an incredibly talented player", Cook said: "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’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."

Captaincy Change and Broadcast Crew

Ollie Pope has been succeeded by Harry Brook as the team's deputy skipper but, as per Cook, that will "ease the burden on" the Surrey right-hander.

"They’ve been proactive on that, considering if there is an injury to Ben Stokes, they’ve got a guy in Brook who has taken the [captaincy of the] one-day side and everyone has seen that he appears well suited to it. This will relieve Pope. I believe it won't undermine him. Certainly 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 Australia as part of the broadcast team of the Ashes, and will be joined by fellow Ashes winners Steven Finn and Swann as in-studio analysts. The channel will offer a dedicated commentary stream but will use a mixed approach, with commentators Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch to work off-site in the UK, while the trio provide co-commentary from on location. Ebony Rainford-Brent is also part of the broadcast team operating remotely, with the live presentation to be presented by Becky Ives.