Chelmsford: Australia have hit back in the war of words against England as the first Test approaches, with Brad Haddin and Shane Watson mystified by the hype generated about the old enemy's one-day series win over New Zealand and doubting whether it is in Alastair Cook's "DNA to put a game on the line".

There was a wave of optimism here about the audaciousness with which a new-look England played in a 3-2 ODI series win over the Black Caps last month and Cook has since been on record saying the Test team intended to draw on those positive vibes and back their players "100 per cent" in the Ashes.

The Australians, who arrived in the country just before that series wound up, have been left surprised by how much has been made of it, with the high-scoring series variously described as potentially the start of a "great revolution" by England observers and seized upon as a significant turning point by England themselves.

Haddin, on his fourth Ashes tour, questioned the relevance of one-day results so soon after the World Cup, a tournament that was won by Australia after an opening-match thrashing of England.

"I don't really understand the hype around that one-day series," Haddin said. "We'd just come off a World Cup. I don't understand what the excitement is about ... this new-found form England found in that format. I'm a bit puzzled by it. We'd come off the World Cup and everyone had played – it was just like they were a couple of months too late.

"We played them in the first game of the World Cup when it counted and the pressure was on. I don't really understand the talk. Did they not enjoy cricket before then? I don't know. I don't really get where they are coming from. That might be my naivety."

Watson, similarly, queried why England were getting carried away about an ODI series straight after the World Cup and doubts whether they will play in the same cavalier fashion under Cook.

"England have obviously turned things around a bit and we've seen the flair they've started to play with in one-day cricket, which is unfortunately for them a little bit too late because the World Cup has just been and they've got another three-and-a-half years to go until the next one," Watson said.

"But it's good to see that they've moved with the times with how cricket is being played these days. I'm not sure if that's exactly in Alastair Cook's DNA to be really able to put a game on the line but there's no doubt if they've got the quality of players around then Alastair Cook will move with that as well.

"So it's going to be interesting to see how now that Alastair Cook comes in and takes over the Test team how they continue to evolve as a team because It's very obvious in the one-day series they've played how they've really started to take on the game. But you've also got to be able to have the calibre of players and the quality of players to be able to do that so it will be interesting to see how their game's evolved to be able to do that."

Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson also hit back at Stuart Broad's suggestion that Steve Smith could be vulnerable in English conditions now he is up the order at No.3.

"I think it's quite funny that they're talking about the No.1 player in the world who has played in all conditions," Johnson said.

"They can talk all they like but he's put the runs on the board, with a swinging ball and a moving ball against some of the best attacks in the world so I don't think he's fazed about that."