AUSTRALIA may have threatened to compromise the integrity of the T20 World Cup by trying to manipulate their Ashes rivals’ exit from the tournament, but England head coach Matthew Mott believes the inflammatory comments were the result of “a very good sense of humour.”

Seam bowler Josh Hazlewood put the boot in after Australia effectively sealed qualification with a crushing win over Namibia on Tuesday night, claiming he would be keen to nudge England out of the competition by any means necessary.

He floated the idea that Australia could “knock it around and drag it out” in the final group match against Scotland, giving an artificial boost to their opponents’ net run-rate and moving England towards the exit door.