Stuart Broad has lit the touch paper for the Ashes series by claiming that Australia's team for this summer will be their worst since England's 3-1 thrashing of the team led by Ricky Ponting 15 years ago.

The provocative claim, made by Broad on his podcast with fellow England cricketer Jos Buttler, kicked off on the basis that Australia will be missing captain Pat Cummins from the first Test in Perth and perhaps the bulk of the series.

“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 said.

“So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.”

In addition to the doubts around Cummins, Broad also poi

See Full Page