England head coach Brendon McCullum says Joe Root has an "insatiable" desire for success and is a "freak" when it comes to his talent with the bat; watch the third Test between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval live on Sky Sports Cricket
Friday 6 September 2024 18:45, UK
England head coach Brendon McCullum believes Joe Root "touches the greatness" of his cricketing heroes Viv Richards and Allan Border with his drive to succeed in Test cricket.
The batter cemented his legacy as one of England's all-time greats by breaking Alastair Cook's record for Test centuries with his two tons at Lord's last week.
The Yorkshireman is the only player who has been ever-present under McCullum in the Test side and the head coach was full of praise for Root.
Indeed, he believes that Root sits "in between" his two cricketing heroes, Viv Richards and Allan Border.
"Look, he is a freak, right?," McCullum told Sky Sports. "I would say my heroes growing up were Viv Richards and Allan Border for two very contrasting reasons.
"Joe sits probably somewhere in between those two in how he plays the game.
"In terms of his delivery and his insatiable appetite for success and improvement, he and Kane Williamson are probably the two that I have seen up close that touch that greatness to those levels.
"He is an intriguing character because he is never happy with what he has been able to deliver.
"I think he is really comfortable in the space he is in at the moment and knows now, 18 months on or 24 months on, that the role he can play is in his own way."
McCullum's belief that Root is never "happy" with what he has delivered is backed by the England batter's reaction to big moments, focusing on the cricket he still has to play rather than his achievements so far.
"It was a pretty cool feeling... I'm very proud and nice to share a moment with my dad walking off the field. That was really quite special," Root said after hitting his 34th Test century.
"They are all things in a few years' time I might be able to look back and enjoy. At the minute, I still have a lot of cricket to play.
"It is always a new opportunity to get your team into a position to win the game."
Watch the second day of the third and final Test of the series between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Saturday September 7 (first ball, 11am).
