I would still prefer England’s XI to Australia’s at the Cricket World Cup in 2023, says Joe Root

Despite England’s difficulties at the World Cup in India, Joe Root believes he would still pick England’s XI over their’s “every day”.Australia is in third place after four straight wins, while England is at the bottom of the standings and practically eliminated after five losses in six games.

Australia’s victory in Ahmedabad on Saturday will mathematically terminate England’s title campaign.

“Man for man I’d have this team every day over the Australians,” said Root.

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Even if we may not have performed to our full potential, the best teams find it difficult to compete with us when we are at our best. “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.”

Although England was one of the favourites going into the World Cup, they have struggled all along. After beating Bangladesh in their first match, they were humiliated by New Zealand and have since lost to Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.

Root described England’s match against Australia as a “great time” as they aim to finish the tournament strong and earn a spot in Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. To ensure their place in that event, they need to place in the top seven, but if Pakistan places in the top seven, eighth place will suffice.

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“It’s great opportunity to get back to what we expect of ourselves, the levels we put on ourselves, the levels that are expected externally as well,” said Root.

“We’re a far better side than what we’ve shown.”