Long before it’s too late Martin Crowe The term ‘Fab Four’ was coined in 2014 for Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith And Ken Williamsonthe quartet was already making a name for itself.But what Crowe’s name did was provide a sure thing for cricket fans to hold on to, which, over the next decade and a half, would turn into a never-ending debate.Who is the GOAT? Your goat or mine?Their careers were so intertwined with the term’s collective identity that it became impossible to discuss one without inviting others. Mention Kohli, and Root, Smith and Williamson inevitably enter the conversation.Talk about Smith’s intelligence and Kohli’s intensity, Root’s volume and Williamson’s composure are never far behind. It was the nature of the era that they collectively came to appreciate.While Kohli’s white-ball numbers towered over the other three, it was always Test cricket where the comparison felt most interesting. Perhaps because this is Test cricket, the pinnacle of the game, where greatness spans years rather than moments.Or perhaps because the numbers, the ebbs and flows, the peaks and troughs of their careers made for interesting reading, following and above all discussing.And each brought their own personality to this exclusive club.Kohli was intense. Smith had an absurdity. Root just piled on the runs with relentless volume.And Williamson, amid all the hoopla surrounding the others, quietly went about his business, bringing stability to New Zealand cricket with the same unmistakable batting assurance.What united them all, however, was greatness, or at least the path to it.Now, with Williamson becoming the first member of the Fab Four to retire from international cricket, his departure naturally leaves an interesting question: where does he rank among the four?But perhaps this is not the time for that discussion.Not yet.Because, standalone, away from endless comparisons and rankings, Williamson has put together a career worth reflecting on.And it might be a good time to reflect on what these four achieved during the years when they were all active together, a period that for many came to define modern Test batting itself.
Four giants, separated by a whisper
The most remarkable thing about the Fab Four is how close they eventually became. After thousands of runs and more than a decade of cricket, his Test average occupies a remarkably narrow corridor.Steve Smith is the highest with 56.06. Williamson follows at 54.06. Root and Kohli are trailing, yet the difference between the highest and the lowest is less than ten runs.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Historically, great careers announce themselves loudly. Smith’s career is remembered for outrageous peaks. Kohli has dominance and drama. Root is for longevity and volume.Williamson’s legacy is difficult to package because he simply appears each season and adds another layer.After 25 Tests, he had just 1,385 runs, the lowest among the four. Smith and Root have already crossed 2,100. Kohli also went ahead. At this stage, Williamson seemed like the fourth member of the quartet. Definitely the least spectacular.As the years went by, something interesting happened. The space disappeared. Smith had a giant peak. Kohli had a run-glut year. The volume of the route was unprecedented. Williamson had none. It just compounded.By the end, despite playing fewer Tests than Root and almost a dozen fewer than Smith, he had equaled him on virtually every meaningful measure.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Williamson delivered as New Zealand won.
But runs are one thing. Match-winning runs are another. Take away every draw and defeat and focus only on the victories and Williamson’s numbers become extraordinary.He averaged 81.1 in the Test that New Zealand won. Smith averaged 64. Route 62. Kohli 51.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
22 of his 33 Test centuries came in New Zealand wins. For context, Williamson spent his career playing for the smallest cricketing nation of the four.New Zealand has never had the depth of India, the production line of Australia or the endless volume of England matches. His runs were disproportionately weighted.The fourth innings tells a similar story. He also scored five centuries while batting last, which is joint-most in Test history with Younis Khan. Equaled Graeme Smith’s record with four successful chases. His fourth innings average of 50.8 comfortably leads the Fab Four.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
The comforts of home, but no hollow numbers
However, every great batsman carries charges. The charge was easy for Williamson. Home tracks. His home average of 65.76 dwarfs his away average of 45.41. On the surface, critics have ammunition.But, an average above 45 is itself the mark of an elite Test batsman. Moreover, New Zealand pitches rarely resemble a batting paradise. Instead of endless runs, they offered movement, weather and unpredictability of the seam.Even more remarkably, Williamson scored centuries against all nine Test opponents he faced. He is the only New Zealand player to do so.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
The captain moves forward.
And as had happened to all four at some stage in their careers, eventually the added responsibility of captaincy came.But this is where Williamson, somewhat surprisingly, seemed to bring out the best in himself in a way that Kohli, Root and Smith could not.The armband affected each of them differently. Root’s batting was strained. Kohli’s averages rose during his reign, only to crash after the captaincy disappeared.Smith’s phenomenal run produced ridiculous numbers before ending abruptly.Williamson, however, did not experience any of these curves. Instead, the captaincy boosted it.He averaged 49 before leading New Zealand. It reached 57 in his years as captain. And remarkably, after parting ways with the character, it further increased to 60.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Smith averaged 67.7 as captain. Kohli wins often. Root struggled under the load. Williamson’s chapter, however, has a distinction that no one else has. World Test Championship.He led New Zealand to defeat India in Southampton in 2021. Among the Fab Four, he retired with the ICC Test crown as the lone captain.Kohli reached two finals and lost both. Root and Smith never reached one. For a player who is often understated, it remains the highest line on his CV.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Different rhythms, different careers
Smith completed 5000 runs in just 52 Tests and 20 centuries in just 53. His boom years were ridiculous. Root became a collector. Kohli had a blast followed by a slow down.Williamson became the bearer. Never the fastest. Rarely the slowest. Always present.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
He completed 9000 runs in 103 Tests. The route requires 104. Kohli 115. Smith 96. Thirty centuries in 97 Tests, comfortably ahead of Root and Kohli and not far behind Smith’s phenomenal pace.
Violation of age
Batsmen usually peak in their late twenties. Then, inevitably, after the fall. Williamson rejected the script. He got better with age. His opening thirty produced an average of 66.7, the highest of his career.Compare that to Kohli. The Indian great averaged around 59 in his late twenties before dropping to 39 and eventually 26. Smith’s provocative peak was reached first. Root proved most age-resistant and continued to score heavily.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Until now, comparisons were largely confined within the Fab Four themselves. But another question is worth asking: How much better were these guys than the batsmen around them?Seen through this lens, Smith sits at the top. His average was nearly 80 percent higher than the world batting baseline of his era. Williamson with 74 per cent, Root with 64 and Kohli with 52.Margins are, again, remarkably tight.But perhaps another number captures Williamson better than any average. Share of team runs.Williamson accounted for 16.4% of New Zealand’s total runs in the Tests he played. Smith contributed 16.1% of Australia’s runs. Root accounted for 15.7 per cent for England, while Kohli accounted for 14.6 per cent for India.
Design: Mukesh Sharma
Williamson’s best year, 2015, saw him score 1,172 runs at 90.2, yet it rarely enters the conversation dominated by Smith’s Ashes peaks or Kohli’s majestic phase. But Williamson was always there, scoring and always relevant.And now, fittingly, he’s become the first of the Fab Four to leave. There are no dramatic comebacks, no farewell tours and no unfinished business.Finished his career with 9,515 runs at just 54.06, 33 centuries and quiet contentment. For years, the Fab Four debate has led to an endless search for a winner.Perhaps this was always the wrong question. Williamson shows that greatness doesn’t always require drama. Sometimes it could reach slowly. And sometimes after sixteen years he could leave like that.
