Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates with team mates (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Former England cricket star Stuart Broad has criticized the current Australian cricket team ahead of the upcoming Ashes series, describing them as the weakest Australian side since 2010, while responding to Australian opener David Warner‘s prediction of a 4-0 victory for Australia and his comments about England playing for a “moral victory.”Broad, who recently retired after the 2023 Ashes series and now works as a TV commentator, has highlighted concerns about Australia’s top-order batting and the unsettled nature of their lineup.The former England pacer pointed to Australian captain Pat Cummins‘ uncertain availability for the opening Test in Perth on November 21 as a significant concern for the home team.”You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it’s the best English team since 2010,” Broad told the BBC’s For the Love of Cricket podcast. “So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.”Broad, who was part of England’s successful 2010-2011 Ashes campaign in Australia where they won 3-1 under Andrew Strauss’s leadership, gained prominence in the series with his remarkable bowling performance of 8-15 at Trent Bridge in 2015.His relationship with Australian crowds became contentious after the 2013 incident where he refused to walk after edging a ball to slip, earning him the status of an Ashes villain.Broad acknowledged the historical difficulty of winning in Australia but emphasized the current vulnerabilities in the Australian team, particularly with uncertainty surrounding players like Marnus Labuschagne, Sam Konstas, and Beau Webster.”It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side or any side – it just is,” Broad said. “Australia have to be massive favourites. The question really was ‘which team’s under the most pressure?’ Well, Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win. They’re brilliant at home.”The former England bowler specifically addressed the leadership and team composition concerns facing Australia.”But they’ve got question marks over their team and question marks over the captain (Pat Cummins),” Broad stated. “Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who was going to bat where, what bowlers there were – and they don’t have that.”Broad reinforced his assessment of the current Australian team’s standing in comparison to previous sides.”I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s their weakest team since 2010 … it’s just a fact,” he concluded.The comments from both Broad and Warner have intensified the pre-series dialogue between the two cricket nations, setting the stage for the opening Test in Perth on November 21.These exchanges continue the traditional pre-Ashes verbal sparring between England and Australia, adding another chapter to the historic cricket rivalry between the two nations.The upcoming series will test both Broad’s assessment of the Australian team’s perceived weaknesses and Warner’s confident prediction of a dominant home victory.
