New Zealand National Cricket Team veteran Tim Southee was recently named the best batter among the Fab Four which includes Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith.
All the Fab Four batsmen have dominated the world of cricket for the past decade and recently there has been a lot of debate about who is the best batsman between Smith, Kohli, Root and Williamson.
In terms of numbers, Virat Kohli is way ahead of his competition in white-ball formats, but in red-ball cricket, Root, Williamson and Smith have better averages than the Indian batting maestro.
Kohli scored over 13,000 runs in ODIs and over 4,000 runs in T20Is, while Smith, Root and Williamson failed to touch the 7,000-run mark in ODIs and 3,000 runs in T20Is. All the batsmen in Test cricket have scored more than 8000 runs and Root is on top as he has scored more than 13000 runs.
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Meanwhile, Kiwi star Tim Southee took part in the Fab Four debate on Sunday, ranking Kane Williamson ahead of the likes of Smith, Root and Kohli.
“Perhaps I hit Kane the most in the nets. It’s always a challenge for us bowlers to be tested in the nets day in and day out by one of the best in the world. It was amazing to see Kane do it first hand. Others are also phenomenal. There’s a reason they’re called the Fab Four,” Tim Southee said ahead of New Zealand’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, as quoted by the Indian Express.
Here’s a statistical comparison of the Fab Four:
| Player | Format | Matches Played | Innings | Runs Goal | Highest score | Medium | Holiday rate | 100s | 50s |
| Virat Kohli | Tests | 113 | 191 | 8848 | 254* | 49.15 | 55.56 | 29 | 30 |
| ODIs | 295 | 283 | 13906 | 183 | 58.18 | 93.54 | 50 | 72 | |
| T20 Is | 125 | 117 | 4188 | 122* | 48.69 | 137.04 | 1 | 38 | |
| Steve Smith | Tests | 109 | 195 | 9685 | 239 | 56.97 | 53.5 | 32 | 41 |
| ODIs | 158 | 142 | 5446 | 164 | 43.91 | 87.41 | 12 | 33 | |
| T20 Is | 67 | 55 | 1094 | 90 | 24.86 | 125.45 | 0 | 5 | |
| Joe Root | Tests | 145 | 265 | 12377 | 254 | 50.93 | 56.98 | 34 | 64 |
| ODIs | 171 | 160 | 6522 | 133* | 47.6 | 86.77 | 16 | 39 | |
| T20 Is | 32 | 30 | 893 | 90* | 35.72 | 126.3 | 0 | 5 | |
| Kane Williamson | Tests | 100 | 176 | 8743 | 251 | 54.98 | 51.41 | 32 | 34 |
| ODIs | 165 | 157 | 6810 | 148 | 48.64 | 81.38 | 13 | 45 | |
| T20 Is | 93 | 90 | 2575 | 95 | 33.44 | 123.08 | 0 | 18 |
Afghanistan have been a developing side for several years – Tim Southee
New Zealand are set for a big Test season as they are set to play three games against India after the one-off Test against Afghanistan. They will also host England for the Test series.
Speaking about this, Tim Southee said that the upcoming Test matches are a big challenge for them and they need to manage the multi-format cricketers properly. Tim Southee said:
“It’s a challenge for all parties. For players who play in multiple formats, you have to balance the choppy and changing nature of busy schedules, so it’s been a while since we’ve played Test cricket, we’re very excited and looking forward to getting out there. Playing Test cricket.
“To play nine Test matches in such a short space of time is exciting for us and something we don’t usually get.”
Tim Southee, speaking about Afghanistan’s thrashing of the Black Caps in the T20 World Cup 2024, said they have always struggled and have improved a lot. Tim Southee said:
“Afghanistan have been a developing side for a number of years and whenever you face them you know you have a fight, especially in these conditions. We saw in the T20 World Cup what a dangerous side they can be.
“They’ve got a lot of confidence from their success not only in the T20 World Cup but in the one-day World Cup in India last year and they’re still new to the Test format, but I’m sure that’s the format. As with the other two formats, they will want to continue to grow.”
Meanwhile, the one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan will be held from September 9 to 13 at the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground in Greater Noida.
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