Kane Williamson Reflects On Fab Four Tag, Kiwi Star Opens Up On Journey With Virat Kohli, Joe Root And Steve Smith

Four batters from four different countries helped define one era of cricket.

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said on the Stick to Cricket podcast that he had never paid much attention to the "Fab Four" label while he was still playing. Now that his career is over, he said the shared path with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith feels "quite unique."

The quartet—Williamson, Kohli, Root and Smith—were grouped together for years in Test cricket conversations as top batters from their respective nations. Times of India reported that Williamson now sees that period as unusual because their careers moved in parallel and they got to know one another along the way. He also said their separate journeys and different approaches to the game made that stretch stand out.

"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.

Shared Test Era

The "Fab Four" tag followed the four batters through several years of Test cricket. Each built a reputation as a run-scorer and match-winner for his country. The comparisons stayed in place across formats and series.

Williamson said what mattered most about that period was the competition and the relationships he formed, rather than the talk about numbers. He pointed to the way their careers overlapped and the cricketing circles they shared.

"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 On Rivals

Williamson also spoke about how well he knew the other three. He said he had spent considerable time with Kohli and Root, while his interactions with Smith were more limited over the years.

He described the three as different personalities with different methods. That, he suggested, made the era stand out even more.

"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.