Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has lauded Joe Root after his outstanding unbeaten 153 in the second Test against New Zealand, stating that "there is not a better player in the world".
Ahead of this Test, Root admitted he had got "a bit caught up" in England's new 'Bazball' style of play and was still "trying to find out what my role is". After stepping down as captain and handing the reigns over to Ben Stokes, Root played a huge role in England's early success last summer.
He struck three hundreds against New Zealand and India and was not out in three match-winning chases in England's first four Tests under Stokes and Brendon McCullum. However, he then lost form against South Africa, averaging just 11.50 in the series, and struggled on flat pitches in Pakistan, making just one score above 23 in five innings.
