Joe Root has clapped back at former Australia coach Darren Lehmann after he suggested the England batsman was not among the all-time greats of cricket.

Root will go into the upcoming series against New Zealand as the world’s top-ranked batter and has established himself as a legend of the English game over the course of his career.

Lehmann, however, recently declared that Root was a ‘rung below’ the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith due to his lack of a Test century in Australia.

“That’s the only thing stopping Joe Root,” Lehmann told ABC. “He’s a great player, but is he an all-time great? I don’t have him in that realm.”

Root was quizzed on Lehmann’s comments ahead of the New Zealand series and issued a frosty response, saying: “My job is to score runs, right? His job is to give his opinion and talk on the radio. I’ll do my job and he can do his job.

“He’s completely entitled to say what he wants. I’ve not spoken to him for a while but, like I said, he’s got a job to do. That’s his right.”

Root will be hoping to help England secure victory over New Zealand, with the two nations looking to honour the late Graham Thorpe and Martin Crowe by putting on a ‘humdinger’ of a series.

They will compete for the newly-commissioned Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, which has been crafted with wood taken from bats belonging to the pair.

“I think it’s amazing, a really nice way to celebrate two greats from each nation,” said Root. “The influence Thorpey had on my career is unrivalled, really.

“To get to work with him for so long, the hours, time, effort and energy he put into my game, I’ll be forever grateful for all he did for me. It’s nice to have something to play for in his name and similarly for Crowey as well.

“Hopefully the two teams represent the way they played and we’ll have a humdinger of a series.”