Joe Root’s sly shot at the Australians has raised eyebrows on the day when Pat Cummins’ side can end any and all hope of England reaching the World Cup finals.
England has just one win through six games and even if they win their last three regular games of the tournament,they'd be long odds to play in the finals.
Jos Buttler’s side sits a conspicuous last of the 10 nations but Root, speaking on the eve of England’s date with Australia, offered little respect for his opponents.
“Man for man I'd have this team every day over the Australians,” the former skipper told the BBC.
“We might not have played as well as we can but when we play our best stuff, the best teams struggle to compete with us.
“We have to remember that and take that into the next couple of days, both in physical practice and mentally to make sure we're in that frame of mind to take on Australia, which is what it's about for us now.”
England are the reigning champions of the ODI World Cup, while Australia has recovered from a slow start to win its last four matches in India.
SEN Cricket commentator Brett Geeves believes Root’s comments are well off the mark.
“I love smack talk and I love sticking up for your own and I don’t get worried about Stuart Broad’s carry-on… it’s all psychological,” he told SEN Tassie.
“However, what’s Joe Root talking about? He’s sitting on the bottom of the ladder and rather than saying how poor they’ve been and how it’s been such a disappointing tournament, he’s saying, ‘we’re still better than Australia’.
“I love Joe Root, I know he’s a good dude… but sometimes in public, isn’t it better to be real and be critical and stop worrying about the bulldust? Because they’ve been pathetic.”
Australia will line up against England without two of their star attractions, with all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell set to miss.
Australia versus England gets underway at 7:30pm AEDT at Narendra Modi Stadium.