Tim Southee Picks Kane Williamson as Best Batter Among Fab Four, Ahead of Kohli, Smith, and Root
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of New Zealand's one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting on Monday, September 9, Southee praised Williamson’s skill, attributing his choice to personal experience.
Asela MadhusankaEditor
Posted - 2024-09-09T10:33:34+06:00
Updated - 2024-09-09T10:33:34+06:00
New Zealand pacer and Test team captain Tim Southee recently weighed in on the much-debated Fab Four conversation, naming his former captain Kane Williamson as the best batter among the elite group that includes indian Virat Kohli, England Joe Root, and Australian Steve Smith. The Fab Four have dominated the cricketing world for over a decade, amassing countless runs for their respective teams and maintaining exceptional consistency. However, the debate continues to rage about who stands out among these modern greats.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of New Zealand's one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting on Monday, September 9, Southee praised Williamson’s skill, attributing his choice to personal experience. The veteran fast bowler, who has bowled to Williamson regularly in the nets, emphasised the difficulty of bowling to him.
"I have probably bowled the most to Kane in the nets. It is always a tough challenge for us as bowlers to be tested by one of the best in the world in the nets day in and day out. To see Kane do it first hand has been amazing to watch. The others are phenomenal as well. There is a reason why they are called the Fab Four," said Southee.
The Fab Four—Williamson, Kohli, Root, and Smith—dominated Test cricket particularly between 2014 and 2019, with all four averaging over 50 during that period. Despite Kohli having the lowest Test average among them at 49.15, he boasts unmatched white-ball stats, making him a formidable all-format player.
Kohli has accumulated over 13,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and more than 4,000 runs in T20 Internationals (T20Is). Comparatively, Smith, Root, and Williamson are yet to surpass the 7,000-run mark in ODIs or the 3,000-run mark in T20Is. In Test cricket, all four have crossed the 8,000-run milestone, with Joe Root leading the pack at over 12,000 runs.