London [UK], October 14 : Former England bowler Stuart Broad hit back at ex-Australian opener David Warner's "moral victory" jab at the English side ahead of the Ashes series Down Under starting from September 19, pointing out that the battle is between "the worst Australian team since 2010" and the "best England team since 2010".
Broad was speaking during the 'Love for Cricket' podcast, which he co-hosts with England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler. Earlier, Warner had expressed supreme confidence in Australia's chances, making bold predictions for the series outcome, depending on the availability of captain Pat Cummins, who has been battling a back stress problem.
"If Cummo (Pat Cummins) is not there, I think Australia win 3-1. If Cummo is there, it's 4-0," Warner said, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. "I think England will win the first Test if Cummo is not playing," he noted.
Warner, known for being controversial, outspoken and aggressive on and off the field, could not help himself from taking a playful jibe at the Bazball-powered English set-up, led by skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, quipping that the Australians were after the urn, while England were chasing pride."The Australian way (will prevail) because we're playing for the Ashes and they're playing for a moral victory," Warner said.
Speaking during the podcast, Broad said, "It is probably the worst Australian team since 2010, and it is the best England team since 2010 (when England last won the series on Australian soil during 2010-11 Ashes)."
Broad also pointed out that England has a "very good chance" of doing well, while the Aussies have a "decent chance" of being bad, due to injuries, poor form of several key players, and retirements have led to some holes developing in a once-near-flawless side that dominated world cricket for years. He also felt that due to all this, pressure was mostly on the Australian side.
"Australia have been so consistent with their plans and approach, and they do not have that anymore. It is quite a similar situation to 2010/11, when Australia were confused. The prediction of 4-0 with a wash out (by Warner). It is quite difficult to win in Australia for any side. Australia have to be massive favourites. The question really was which team is under pressure, and I guess that is Australia because they have question marks over their team, their captain and his fitness," he added.
Australia has been facing several troubles heading into the series, which will start on November 21 in Perth. The pace unit of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland is ageing and is in the final years of their career.
Also, due to poor returns by a young Sam Konstas during the tour to the West Indies, where he managed just 50 runs in six innings with a best score of 25, it is still not clear if Konstas will even be there, despite a solid showing for Australia A during the tour of India, where he also scored a century in first unofficial Test and scored 188 runs in four innings. He has had a rough time back home in domestic cricket for New South Wales (NSW) as well, managing four and 14 on his Sheffield Shield return. The teen sensation did start well against India at home, dismantling their premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah at Melbourne, but the consistency has not been here despite immense potential.
Even Usman Khawaja, at the age of 38, who will be 39 by year-end, struggled during the tour of the West Indies, scoring just 117 runs in six innings and not scoring a fifty once as an opener. He also failed to score during the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's.
Also, there are doubts over if Cummins will feature in the opening Perth Test as he faces a back stress problem. He also stands at risk of missing the whole series.
Marnus Labuschagne, Australia's vital top-order batter, has also been battling a poor run of form in Test cricket, having hit his last Test ton over two years back. Since then, he has been able to muster just 668 runs in 16 matches and 30 innings at an average of 24.74, with seven fifties and a best score of 90. While he was selected for the West Indies tour this year for the Test matches, he did not get to play a single match.
Labuschagne is without a century in his past 49 international matches, having scored just 12 fifties in 57 innings at an average of less than 30. However, his recent centuries in Shield Cricket and the One-Day Cup have done its part in instilling some confidence amongst selectors.
Also, with all-rounder Beau Webster and Cameron Green a part of the mix, it is still not final who would be the part of the playing XI, as Green, who has being going rehab after his back surgery, is still building up his bowling workload. While Webster is a fine all-rounder in his own right, Green's height, adaptability, international experience and ability to hit the 140-mark while bowling make him a much better player to be added in the playing XI if fit.
Notably, Australia have not announced their squad for the five-match series yet. England has a good chance of winning their first Ashes series in Australia since 2011 and their first overall since 2015.
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