The International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Cook as saying, “I think Joe Root can definitely create a record for the England team which will be very difficult to break. But anything can happen.” He said, “I hope that if he does not become the first person to score 16,000 Test runs, he can get very close to it. It would be a wonderful achievement.”
Root had overtaken Cook as England’s leading run-scorer in the longer format during the Multan Test against Pakistan earlier this month. After this achievement of Root, 39-year-old Cook called him to congratulate him on this big achievement.
Cook said, “I saw that moment, then after the day’s play was over I called him. I couldn’t think of the right words to write in the text message.” He said, “So I thought I would call him and see what he was doing. Make sure he had a beer in his hand, which I think he did.”
Root has performed brilliantly in the last four years and has scored more than half of his 35 Test centuries during this period. During this period his average is around 60. Cook believes that he is currently the best batsman in the world and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is close to his equal.