Alastair Cook was delighted to see Joe Root's promotion to number three reap the rewards at Old Trafford as England routed Pakistan in the second Test.

Root was moved up the order after the series with Sri Lanka but only managed 57 in the first Test, which Pakistan won by 75 runs.

However, the Yorkshireman took his performance to the next level in Manchester with 325 runs in the match - his 254 in the first innings setting up the 330-run thrashing that levelled the series.

Cook - who enjoyed partnerships of 185 and 105 with Root - hailed his team-mate's display, labelling his performance as "one of the best" he had seen in Test cricket.

"I can't claim too much credit for his 250, but it seemed the logical step to put your best batter at number three," Cook told the post-match presentation. 

"He is an extraordinary player, it is an amazing feat. 

"We talked about going big [after the defeat at Lord's], that [from Root] was as good as I've seen."

It was not just Root who earned praise from Cook, though, with the skipper impressed by England's reaction to their defeat at Lord's.

He added: "We were really good, apart from one drop today [from Cook] there wasn't too much that could have gone better. 

"I am really pleased about the character we've shown, the manner in which everyone batted, we had a better tempo."