Wednesday 5 April 2017 18:39, UK
Joe Root is confident Alastair Cook will thrive as an England batsman now that he is free from the responsibility of leading the side.
Root was named as England's Test captain in February, replacing Cook who led the side in 59 Test matches during a four-and-a-half year spell in the role.
Cook laughed off suggestions his relationship with his former vice-captain may be awkward when he returns to England's dressing room solely as a player, and Root echoed the sentiment, insisting he will welcome the opportunity to call upon Cook for his advice when needed.
"I can't see why anyone would suggest it [the working relationship with Cook], would be a problem," Root told Sky Sports News HQ.
"He's a fantastic bloke to have around. He's got a lot of experience, has scored a huge amount of runs and I can just see him really flourishing as a batsman, now just with the responsibility of scoring as many runs as possible.
"He's been fantastic for England cricket, was a fantastic captain, and I'm really looking forward to leaning on him when I need to as a senior player in the England dressing room."
Root will skipper England for the first time against South Africa at Lord's on July 6. The Yorkshireman will take his time over shaping his philosophy as England Test captain, but says the short-term goal is ensuring he hits top form by then.
"In the next few weeks I will talk to a few different people and have a think about where we want to go as a side," he said.
"But there is a lot of white ball cricket to come before the Test matches so we'll get our teeth into that. I'll just make sure my game is in good order so that whether I'm representing Yorkshire or England, I'm at the peak of my game."
Yorkshire get their 2017 season underway at Headingley on Friday in a Specsavers County Championship fixture against Hampshire.
Yorkshire were dethroned as Division One champions by Middlesex last season and Root is now determined to make headway with his county before turning his attention to the international stage.
"It's been great to be back around the lads and be involved again back at home if you like," he said.
"I'm getting back into it over the next couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to playing some championship cricket before a lot white ball stuff.
"We [Yorkshire] have a very strong squad as we have done for a while now. We've proven we can compete in the Championship, and last year we showed good form in both white ball formats.
"Hopefully we can go one step further in the white ball game, and really compete, and hopefully bring home some silverware."
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