ENG vs NZ: Joe Root Will Go Miles Past My Record – Sir Alastair Cook

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook said Joe Root will break his records along the line in Test cricket. Root’s unbeaten 115 against New Zealand in the first Test inspired England to a five-wicket win.

Root was involved in an unbroken 120-run stand with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes as England scripted a come from behind win against the Black Caps at the Lord’s on Sunday (June 5).

Root became 14th player and second from England to complete 10,000 Test runs as he brought up 26th hundred in the red-ball format.

Joe Root is the most complete England batsman I have seen: Sir Alastair Cook

Root became the first player to achieve 10,000 Test runs within 10 years of debut in the longest format of the game. It took the former England skipper nine years and 174 days to reach the landmark since his debut in 2012 against India.

Root also became the joint-youngest player to score 10,000 Test runs, equalling the record with his predecessor Cook. Both Root and Cook took 31 years and 157 days to reach the milestone.

“He is a pleasure to watch, the most complete England batsman I have seen,” Cook told BBC Sport.

“The person who could play the most incredible innings was Kevin Pietersen, but for the most complete batsmen in all three forms, it’s Root. His consistency is incredible,” he added.

Joe Root will go miles past my record: Sir Alastair Cook

Cook amassed 12,472 runs in 161 Tests at an average of 45.35 with 57 half-centuries and 33 hundreds. The former England captain said if Root isn’t vulnerable to injuries then the Yorkshire batter will break his records.

“Barring injury, he’ll go miles past my record. He is so hard to tie down. I had to grind my way to 30, it always took me what felt like two hours,” Cook asserted.

“Because Joe has got so many low-risk scoring options, pretty much through 360 degrees, he will often get to 30 off 40 balls,” he added.

The second Test between England and New Zealand will start on June 9 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Also Read: Joe Root Can Break Sachin Tendulkar’s Record For Most Runs In Test Cricket: Mark Taylor