Comparing the “Fab Four”: Who is the World’s Best Batsman?

Human beings love a good debate! Cricket fans are no different. They have always indulged in a perpetual debate to decide the supremacy of anything in world cricket. It may be about the strongest team, or the best rivalry, or the best match or the best era. The list goes on! Another debate that has consumed the cricketing world is the one regarding the title of “best batsman of the current generation”. This eventually gave rise to the “Fab Four” of modern-day cricket. This elite (and made-up!) club comprises of batsmen of the current era, who have proven themselves worthy of being called “the best batsman”. The club, comprising of the likes of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, has polarised the opinions of cricket fans across the globe.

Here, I intend to put forward my opinion regarding the same, and try and offer my ranking of these brilliant individuals. Before that, I will make a statistical comparison of the 4 batsman, considering their performances across all 3 formats of the game. I will try my best to consider statistics beyond just career average, run tally and number of centuries. Feel free to correct me if you feel this is wrong!

Test Cricket

The mother of all formats, I personally feel like the best test of a batsman’s talent, endurance and brilliance is tested in Test Cricket. Here is a look at the career statistics of the Fab Four in Test matches.

Name	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	S.R	50s/100s	H.S
Steve Smith	73	131	7,227	62.84	55.30	29/26	239
Virat Kohli	86	145	7,240	53.62	57.68	22/27	254*
Joe Root	92	169	7,599	48.40	54.54	48/17	254
Kane Williamson	80	140	6,476	50.99	51.63	33/21	242*

A casual glance at these numbers would tell you that Steve Smith is the clear winner. But his brilliance resides in more than just these numbers. There are other facts about him that would place him miles ahead of the other three. Taking stats from January 2016, Smith averages 70.60 across all tests he has played, which is way ahead of the next best (Kohli, 65.80). Williamson is third on that list with a healthy average of 60.64, while Root sits at the bottom with a comparatively mediocre average of 44.95. In the overall ranking of batsmen according to their batting averages since the beginning of 2016, Smith, Kohli and Williamson make up the top 3, while Root sits at No.7.

If you look at away test matches, Smith again makes it to the top of the heap. He averages 57.10 in all away test matches throughout his career. Williamson takes second spot with 45.58, closely followed by Root (45.16) and Kohli (44.36). It looks like there isn’t any competition at all! In fairness, since 2016, Kohli has turned up the heat, and has proven himself in almost all conditions. His away test average at from 2016-19 is 49.38, which is a far better reading than that of his overall career. A lean patch during the 2014 tour of England, among a lot of other average performances, proved near-fatal to his test career. Root however, suffered from a collapse in form as opposed to the initial purple patch he had. Williamson has had a fairly stable batting average, indicating his amazing consistency. However, none of them match the sheer brilliance of Steve Smith. He has just taken the world by storm with the amazing quality he displays in both home and away test matches.

Even if you weigh the importance of these players to their respective teams, Smith has contributed to more of the overall runs scored by his team, scoring 21.25% of his team’s runs. Kohli and Williamson aren’t very far behind, scoring 19.02% and 17.50% respectively. Root finds himself in 4th place again, scoring 15.76% of England’s runs (all stats from January 2016)

The only notable places Smith sees himself surpassed are in his conversion rate (C.R) and double hundreds. Kohli leads the pack on both fronts. His conversion rate of 55.10% is the 4th highest in the history of test cricket. He also has 7 double centuries in Test cricket, 4th highest in the world. Smith (47.27% C.R, 3 double centuries), Williamson (40.91% C.R, 2 double centuries) and Joe Root (25.45% C.R, 3 double centuries) are significantly behind on that front.

ODI Cricket

Test cricket might be the mother of all formats, but a modern batsman needs to master the limited-overs format also, to be considered the greatest. ODI cricket’s required skill-set is different from that of Test cricket, so these statistics will show us the versatility of these 4 batsmen, and that is a quality that is of prime importance.

Name	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	S.R	50s/100s	H.S
Steve Smith	125	110	4,162	42.46	86.67	25/9	164
Virat Kohli	248	239	11,867	59.33	93.25	58/43	183
Joe Root	146	137	5,922	51.05	87.40	33/16	133*
Kane Williamson	151	144	6,173	47.48	81.75	39/13	148

To nobody’s surprise, Virat Kohli reigns supreme in this format. He has been nothing short of a revelation. He averages 59.33 having played 239 innings, which shows fantastic consistency. Still only 31 years old, he has so many records he is very close to breaking. He finds himself 6th on the all-time list for top run-getters, 2nd on the list of highest number of centuries, and 1st on the list for top career averages (min. 35 innings). Joe Root is the next-best, maintaining an impressive average of 51.05 throughout his career, which puts him at 8th on the all-time list. He also has an impressive 16 centuries to his name. Williamson has also been largely impressive, scoring at a healthy average of 47.48, having scored 13 centuries. Smith’s ODI numbers are surprisingly average, but good nonetheless, maintaining an average of 42.46, scoring 9 centuries. He hasn’t been able to replicate the brilliance he displays in Test cricket.

Moving on to performances away from home, we have another clear winner. Virat Kohli, who averages a stunning 58.35 away from home, is simply unmatched. Comparatively, neither of Williamson (45.58), Root (45.13) or Smith (36.44) come close. There is absolutely no competition on this front! Even if you analyse particular types of pitches, (countries Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies and India) Kohli has shown his class on almost all these countries. He averages 50.17 in Australia, 54.83 in England, 87.70 in South Africa and 58.93 in West Indies, which is simply amazing. Williamson averages a magnanimous 69.65 in England, but his averages drop in matches played in South Africa (49.80), India (33.17) and West Indies (32.6). Root has maintained fantastic averages in South Africa (59.57), India (57.00) and West Indies (56.22), but he has been surprisingly poor in Australian pitches, managing to score at a mediocre average of 35.17. Smith, on the other hand, has managed to do well in West Indies (52.80) and India (49.88), but fails to shine in South Africa (38.33) and England (35.43).

Analysing performances in ICC Cricket World Cups will give us an idea about big-tournament performances. Kane Williamson has achieved stupendous success in World Cups, averaging a staggering 56.93 across the 3 World Cups he has played in, including a player-of-the-tournament performance at the CWC 2019. Root follows closely, averaging an impressive 54.14 in he two World Cups he has taken part in, on the back of a fantastic performance at the 2019 edition that was hosted by his country. Kohli and Smith lag behind quite considerably here (46.81 and 46.33 respectively). Smith in particular had a fantastic 2015 World Cup campaign, winning at home, but a relatively poor showing in 2019 led to a dip in the average. Kohli, who finally finds himself upstaged in ODIs, has also performed very well in Australia, New Zealand and England, but his scores during the 2011 World Cup at home were not “Kohli-esque” enough.

T20I Cricket

The newest addition to the international cricket family, T20 success is the final piece in the puzzle. It may not be considered as important as the other two, but it is a measure of a cricketer’s ability nonetheless.

Name	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	S.R	50s/100s	H.S
Steve Smith	39	31	681	29.60	130.71	4/0	90
Virat Kohli	82	76	2,794	50.80	138.24	24/0	94*
Joe Root	32	30	893	35.72	126.30	5/0	90*
Kane Williamson	60	58	1,665	32.64	125.18	11/0	95

Virat Kohli takes the cake here as well, by a considerable margin, might I add! He remains the only player in the world to average above 50 in all 3 formats, which is a phenomenal record to have. In this format, there is simply no competition between the Fab Four, as there is a winner by a landslide! The statistics of the other 3 batsmen don’t even come close to that of Kohli. Root can be declared next-best, with a considerably good average of 35.72, closely followed by Williamson (32.64). Smith fails to replicate his red-ball magic here, scoring at a below-par average of 29.60.

Widening the boundary to all T20 matches, we can see Kohli on top again, although his average drops to 41.20. He also has 5 hundreds to his name, all scored while playing in the IPL. Smith comes in 2nd, having managed to improve his stats by a considerable amount. He averages 31.60 in all T20s, ahead of Root (30.54) and Williamson (30.21). Smith and Williamson have a hundred apiece, while Root is yet to open his account on that front.

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So that was a comprehensive study of the career of these 4 batsmen. It is very clear that they have earned the plaudits that they are receiving. They are all a cut above the rest. But the purpose of this article was to give you a comprehensive ranking of the four. Hence, here is my opinion in the matter. Feel free to argue with me!

4) Joe Root

With absolutely no disrespect to Root, this was a fairly straightforward decision. Root is a fantastic, classical batsman, who, on his day, makes any bowler look like they are playing gully cricket. He had a brilliant start to his career, at the beginning of which he was ranked ahead of the other 3. But captaincy has negatively influenced his performances as a batsman. All 3 of the other batsmen have registered superior performances since the start of 2016. Root still manages to perform considerably well on many occasions, including the recently-concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which he ended on a winning note. His ODI stats in particular are very good, averaging above 50. He is one of the best English batsmen, and he has all the quality to push himself further up this list in the coming years.

3) Steve Smith

This might be viewed as a wrong decision by many cricket fans, but I have a very reasonable explanation for making this choice. Smith is a colossal red-ball player, who breaks records at his will. He makes achieving the numbers he has look extremely simple. His average in Tests is 2nd only to one man, who he is often seen as the successor to. You have to be superbly talented to earn a comparison to Donald Bradman! With all the glory he earns from playing Test match cricket, he looks like a different cricketer in limited-overs. He doesn’t replicate the same brilliance, as he finds himself ranked below his other competitors in both ODIs and T20Is. He has played well in a couple of occasions, namely the 2015 World Cup at home, and the ODI series against India in India. The lack of consistency across formats is the only reason he finds himself at 3rd place. Regardless, he is a marvellous cricketer who is an irritating presence for opposition teams and fans! He will probably end his career having cemented his place as one of Test cricket’s biggest players, and modern cricket’s gift to its fans.

2) Kane Williamson

In all fairness, he is the most likable player in world cricket at the moment. Kane Williamson is a positive presence on any pitch he stands on. He commands respect from teammates, opponents and fans alike. His greatness isn’t just limited to that, however, as he is a colossal batsman. He had been a consistent performer in all 3 formats, as the stats rightfully show. He may not be the outright best in any of the formats, but he has maintained his great showing across all of them. He is at the helm of Kiwi cricket at the moment, as he oversees their most successful era in World Cricket. He is an integral part of all that success, as evidenced by his performances in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, finishing as player-of-the-tournament in the latter. Some may rate him below Steve Smith, but the reliability that is attached to his quality cannot go unrewarded. Williamson on your team guarantees a batsman who can deliver no matter what the circumstances might be.

1) Virat Kohli

Was there ever any doubt! Virat Kohli’s numbers have been out-of-this-world. As it stands, he is ranked No.2 in Tests, No.1 in ODIs and in the top 10 of T20Is in ICC Rankings. He has redefined the word “consistency” with his unnatural performances. He has been India’s premier batsman since the turn of this decade, and still continues to play match-winning innings for his side. In limited-overs cricket, he is a colossal force to be reckoned with, having earned the honour of being called “chase master” for his proficiency in pushing his team over the line no matter the situation. With 43 ODI centuries and years of cricket left in him, he is well on course to break Tendulkar’s ODI century record. Simply put, no record is safe when he is batting in full flow. Few batsmen have been as good as him across all formats, and he definitely deserves credit for that. He walks away with the number 1 spot on this elite list, and the title of “the best batsman of this generation”.

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That brings us to the end of my analysis. I know that the final ranking may be contentious to many, so feel free to conduct your own analysis on the matter. All this leaves me thinking about the next generation of cricketers who will take this mantle up, but I believe that is a conversation for another day. For now, let’s just applaud and commend these 4 amazing cricketers!