James Anderson believes England are underdogs for the Ashes, even as he concurs with former team-mate Stuart Broad that Australia are currently at their "weakest" in 15 years.
The assessment follows David Warner's recent prediction of a 4-0 series defeat for England. Broad countered this by labelling Australia's current squad their least formidable since the 2010/11 series, which England won 3-1.
England's record Down Under since that triumph makes for grim reading, with 13 defeats and two draws from 15 Tests. However, they head into the series, commencing next Friday in Perth, with optimism.
England's all-time record wicket-taker, Anderson, still fancies Australia but believes Pat Cummins' absence from at least the first Test through injury, and top-order uncertainty, could level the playing field.
"Australia have been so strong and so consistent in their team selection over the last 10 years, that this probably is their weakest team (in the last 15 years)," Anderson told TNT Sports.
"There are doubts around who’s going to bat in the top three, Pat Cummins missing is huge. There are question marks there, definitely, and there are cracks that England could potentially expose. There’s a great chance for England to get on top early."
"I don’t think England are quite favourites, I’d say Australia are still favourites, in Australia. There’s still a lot of quality in their batting line-up, there’s still a lot of quality with their bowlers as well, even if Cummins is missing."
"So I think they probably just edge out England in terms of being favourites, but I don’t think there’s much in it. It’s a tough one to call, so I’d say Australia, just."
Anderson, who has joined TNT Sports for its coverage of the series, was instrumental in England’s 2010/11 triumph, leading the wicket-taking charts with 24 dismissals at an average of 26.04.
This will be the first Ashes series in 20 years without his involvement, but that has not stopped the seamer from considering how he would approach Australia’s batters.
"You look at that Australia batting line-up, and they’re all very, very different in terms of how they approach the game, in terms of their technique and their strengths and weaknesses," Anderson added.
"I like it, as a bowler, when you can just bowl the same ball all the time, you want everyone to be of a similar standard. But I think Australia have got a lot of variation in their line-up."
