Joe Root, one of the best batsman of the modern day generation and England's current Test captain, has come out and stated that his teammate Ben Stokes, one of the best all-round cricketer that we have, is highly focused on trying to do well for his country as he returns to the international Test scene.

Root believes having Stokes in the camp is a great advantage ahead of the first Test series of their home summer against Pakistan and that he inspires training standards for the whole group.

Joe Root was recently quoted saying in The Guardian that, “He(Ben Stokes) is very focused about performing well, He sets the standard in training and lads like having him around – he adds a lot to this team. It’s not something we have over-thought and in terms of that game later in the summer, we’ll see where we are at. You can see he’s buzzing and desperate to get back out there"

“He is a stand-out. If you watch a whole session, he does everything at match intensity and he helps drive it and take people with him. To have his bowling as well will add to our attack and give us a different dimension. That’s really pleasing for me as captain and us as a side.”

Root has also confirmed the debut for young spinner Dom Bess in the Lord's Test. He said, “He is a very confident young man and has a lot of energy, as you would expect – a decision on whether Mark Wood or Chris Woakes is the third seamer will be made in the morning. A green pitch, but one that has spent much of the build-up under cover for fear of being too dry, will be assessed"

Over the last few series Alastair Cook, a legend in his own rights of English and World Cricket, has been going through a rough phase with the bat. But his captain is quite optimistic of a return to form once Cook sees the enormity of the challenge. Root said, “I think he is in a good place. Like the rest of the lads, he looks like he has prepared well"

“As far as I’m aware, I can see him playing for another couple of years at least. That is completely his decision. He’s such a big part of our dressing-room. When he scores runs, it correlates with us doing well. So hopefully he can have a really strong summer and that can all go to the back of his mind and we can get the best out of him for the next couple of years.”