Root is England's greatest batter - Vaughan

Former skipper Michael Vaughan says Joe Root is England's top batter aft hitting a grounds 34th Test period for his country.

Root, 33, surpassed Sir Alastair Cook's tally of 33 Test tons pinch his 2nd period of nan lucifer successful nan 2nd Test against Sri Lanka astatine Lord's.

The right-hander is besides conscionable 96 runs from eclipsing Cook's grounds of 12,472 Test runs for England.

"It's not been done crash, bang, wallop," said Vaughan, of Root's technique. "It's been done axenic method and ability.

"He is nan top because he's a awesome domiciled exemplary arsenic well. He's a awesome personification and a awesome player."

After scoring 143 successful England's first innings against Sri Lanka, Root made a sublime 103 successful nan 2nd innings to spark nan hosts' push for victory, pinch Sri Lanka group a grounds 483 to win.

Only six batters person scored much Test runs than Root, pinch conscionable 1 - Australia's Ricky Ponting - having a amended strike-rate.

It is that expertise to people truthful easy that marks Root out, according to Vaughan.

"The guidance beautiful overmuch ever person to person 4 fielders down quadrate connected nan disconnected broadside because he's conscionable truthful good," Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special.

"You return distant 4 fielders and each of a abrupt location are gaps everyplace else.

"He's conscionable playing normally, rotating nan onslaught without taking immoderate risk. How often do you look up and he has scored 25 successful nary clip astatine all?"

Cook, who was England skipper erstwhile Root made his debut successful 2012, has seen galore of nan records he group successful his ain profession taken by nan Yorkshire batter, who is averaging 60 successful 2024.

"I don't deliberation anyone other has sewage that inevitability astir him erstwhile he gets successful that he's going to people runs and make it look arsenic easy arsenic he does," said Cook.

"There person been immoderate really elegant England batsmen complete our clip - nan likes of Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell.

"But Root conscionable seems to beryllium measurement supra that level."

Root has scored hundreds of years against 7 different countries, including 10 against India and 4 against Australia, but ne'er down under.

"The only point that's missing successful his crippled is that large 100 successful Australia," added Vaughan.

"But I can't ideate he won't get 3 figures successful nan Ashes adjacent twelvemonth successful Australia."