He is quite simply England's greatest: Alaistair Cook on Joe Root
Alastair Cook, whose record for the most Test centuries by an England batter was recently surpassed by Joe Root, has lauded Root, calling him a "genius."
Saif AL Imam ShotaEditor
Posted - 2024-09-01T12:51:39+06:00
Updated - 2024-09-01T12:51:39+06:00
"He is quite simply England's greatest, and it's right that he should have this record, on his own. We are watching a genius," commented Alastair Cook on BBC.
"I don't think there's a batsman that I can remember watching play...the sense of inevitability about scoring runs that Joe Root gives off. I called it when he was on about 6 today, that he was going to get 100. I know he's in great form, but it's just a pleasure to watch a master, a craftsman at work," he added.
Cook admitted that he wasn't initially impressed when he first saw Root in First-Class cricket, but he changed his mind after watching him bat in Test cricket for the first time.
"The game was in the balance and he walked out to bat with his England cap on, looking 13, massive smile on his face. I watched his first few balls, and I was like, 'This bloke is here to stay.' I honestly said, 'He's scoring 10,000 runs.' I don't know who I said it to, but I know that I said it," he said.