Four batters, four different countries and one defining era of cricket. Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith were often grouped together as the ‘Fab Four’, but Williamson says he never paid much attention to the tag during their playing careers. Looking back, however, the former New Zealand captain considers their parallel journeys and the opportunity to compete against each other something truly unique.The quartet dominated conversations around Test batting for several years, with each establishing themselves as the leading run-scorers and match-winners for their respective countries. While comparisons between the four were frequent, Williamson believes their individual journeys and approaches to the game made the era particularly special.Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Williamson reflected on how he viewed the much-discussed label and admitted that it was never something he consciously thought about.“I never thought anything about it, as in you’d hear it often because it would get sort of put in front of you, but in some ways, like now finishing, it is quite unique,” Williamson said.“Not numbers in that, but to have quite parallel careers and actually get to know the other fellas. Everybody does it differently, representing their different respective countries,” he added.
‘We competed against each other for so long’: Williamson on Fab Four era
Williamson believes the most memorable aspect of being part of the Fab Four was not the comparisons or statistical achievements but the experience of sharing an era with three exceptional batters.“There was a moment in time where we competed against each other for so long. Played with Rooty at Yorkshire, Virat and I from Under-19s, and Smudge as well. It’s just kind of quite unique, I think,” he said.
Kane Williamson praises Kohli, Root and Smith
The former New Zealand captain also spoke about his relationship with the other three batters, acknowledging that he had spent more time with some than others. Williamson revealed that he had shared considerable time with Kohli and Root, while his interactions with Smith had been comparatively limited. However, he expressed admiration for all three, particularly the different ways in which they approached the game.“I mean, largely they’re all quite different. Kind of spent quite a bit of time with Virat and Rooty, a little bit with Smudge over the years, but yeah, more so some than others. They’re all different characters,” he said.“I just loved watching them and how they went about it. Admired the way that they did it,” Williamson added.
