James Anderson full of praise for "extraordinary" Joe Root

James Anderson has claimed that Joe Root has the potential to become an England great as the preparations for The Ashes continue.

Root has averaged 54.11 with the bat in his 27 Test appearances and is expected to be one of the key men in the series against Australia, but Anderson believes that his teammate can become even better.

"He is frighteningly good," the seamer is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "The way he adapts his game throughout the three formats is extraordinary. I don't think I've seen anyone in an England shirt do that as well as he does, and he's 24 years old.

"He's very mature. He handles the pressure of international cricket very well. It's just down to him. He sets such high standards for himself.

"And there's expectation on him now because he's shown that form. It's how he deals with that. But if he continues to improve, he can be as good as anybody in the world."

Root is currently sixth in the ICC Test rankings.