FAB four’s ICC rankings:
FAB four’s ICC rankings: The Fab Four in world cricket all took strides in world cricket almost at the same time. Steve Smith made his Test debut in 2010. He was then regarded to be the next in line someone who would be the successor to Shane Warne. It wasn’t until 2013 that Steve Smith the Test batter was discovered. The Ashes series in England in 2013 kickstarted his batting mojo.
Kane-Kohli-Root parallels:
It was in the year 2010 when Kane Williamson made his Test debut against India in Ahmedabad. Joe Root started a couple of years when he made his Test debut once again in India. In between these two, it was Virat Kohli who made his Test debut in the West Indies in 2011. It was in the year 2013 when the world tagged them as Fab Four. These 4 batters were expected to carry forward the baton of Test cricket.
The pre-pandemic order:
Steve Smith started piling up the scores soon after he got his first century. Virat Kohli went head to head with Smith for large parts of the previous decade. They were the only two batters who proved themselves across conditions. Williamson kept the Kiwi flag flying high while Root kept producing one stellar knock from time to time. The race to the top was getting exciting.
We rank the Fab Four in Tests currently:
#4 Virat Kohli
The post-pandemic period hasn’t been the greatest for Virat Kohli. He went without scoring a century in the longest format for 3.5 years. Kohli once averaged a solid 54 setting himself up for immortality as his other format numbers were and continue to be head and shoulders ahead of his peers. But his disappointing run during this period saw his average fall down to 48.72. He has scored a solitary century since November 2019. Kohli finds himself in the last position for probably the first time in the pecking order.
#3 Kane Williamson
The former New Zealand Test skipper continues to be one of the finest. Kane Williamson led the Kiwis to the WTC championship win in 2021. He has played 94 Tests so far scoring 8,124 runs at an outstanding average of 54.89. Williamson has notched up 28 centuries. His average at home reads a brilliant 66.67 while his numbers away from home are a decent 42.58. Williamson’s away numbers restrict him from going to the top. He is third in the order currently.
#2 Joe Root
He was fourth among this group before the start of 2021. Joe Root since then has been a different batsman. He has been scoring centuries at a rapid rate. Root has smashed 13 centuries during the last two years. He has picked up his average and now it reads a solid 54.69. Root’s away numbers are an impressive 46.63. He has notched up 30 centuries so far and looks good to break many records in the coming future. The only reason why he ranks second is the fact that he is yet to score a century in Australia.
#1 Steve Smith
The Australian batting genius tops the Fab Four list currently. Steve Smith’s Test career has largely seen just an upward trajectory. He was banned for a year owing to the sandpaper gate scandal. But Smith came out of it stronger. He made a stellar comeback to international cricket scoring 700+ runs in the 2019 Ashes in England.
Smith along with Kohli is the only batter to have scored big runs across tough conditions. He averages an outstanding 64.51 at home while his away average is stellar too (57.59). His overall average of 59.75 is the highest among the current lot.
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