England 's all-time leading Test run scorer Sir Alastair Cook believes Joe Root will "go miles past" his record after he became just the second Englishman to score 10,000 Test runs.
Root reached the milestone after scoring a brilliant match winning 115 not out in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's. Cook was at Lord's working as a commentator for BBC Test Match Special and was full of praise for Root.
"I was so glad I was here to witness that - an unbelievable knock by an unbelievable player. He is the most complete England batsman in all forms."
The innings mean Root has now scored a total of 10,015 Test runs and is just 2,457 behind Cook, who accumulated 12,472 before retiring in 2018. And with Root just 31-years-old and no longer burdened with the captaincy, Cook is confident he will go on to become England's all-time leading run scorer.
"He is a pleasure to watch, the most complete England batsman I have seen," he said. "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. 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. Because Joe has got so many low-risk scoring options, pretty much through 360 degrees, he will often get to 30 off 40 balls."
Cook was England captain when Root made his Test debut against India in 2012 at the age of just 21 and scored a composed 73 in the first innings and 20 not out in the second. "He was a very good player of spin, as good as anyone," Cook added.
"That was obvious to see, even at that young age. He was ready to play international cricket. You knew he could handle the occasion."
