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.
After some time away from international cricket, Root returned for the first Test in Mount Maunganui and scored 57 in England's second innings, later claiming that knock gave him a "kick up the backside" and shown him how he can be "consistently useful in this group".
And Root was undoubtedly back to his best in Wellington, scoring an excellent 153 not out off 224 balls. In partnership with Harry Brook, Root was content to play second fiddle and scored just seven boundaries as he reached three figures off the final ball of day one.
On day two, however, Root showed much more intent as England looked to move the game on, smashing 52 runs off 42 balls including three sixes. And Cook was full of praise for Root following his innings, telling BT Sport: "Joe Root has got everything.
"He's done it time and time again for England. The extra shots he has added in the McCullum era are special. You can watch him bat all day and never got bored.
"When he hits that rhythm of batting, there is not a better player in the world. If you are a young player you want Joe Root's record, but he's shown with the likes of Harry Book that the game is evolving and challenging for you."
Fellow England legend David Gower added: "Joe just got on with his job beautifully and was hitting sixes as well, proving you can do it his way. Brilliant stuff, absolutely brilliant stuff and I just loved watching Joe bat."
