First to Leave, Never Far Behind: Kane Williamson and the Fab Four

Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from international cricket Long before the late Martin Crowe coined the term ‘Fab Four’ for Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson in 2014, the quartet were already making names for themselves.However, Crowe’s nomenclature gave cricket fans something to cling to definitively, something that would turn into endless debate over the next decade and a half.Who is the GOAT? Your GOAT or mine?Their careers became so intertwined with the term’s collective identity that it was impossible to discuss one without invoking the others. Mention Kohli and Root, Smith and Williamson inevitably enter the conversation.Talks of Smith’s genius and Kohli’s intensity, Root’s volume and Williamson’s composure are never left behind. Such was the nature of the time they defined together.While Kohli’s numbers in white balls outshine the other three, it has always been Test cricket where the comparison has seemed most interesting. Perhaps because it is Test cricket, the pinnacle of a sport where greatness stretches over years rather than moments.Or maybe because the numbers, the ebbs and flows, the highs and lows of their careers made for fascinating reading, watching, and most of all, debate.And everyone brought their own personality to this exclusive club.Kohli had the intensity. Smith had the absurdity. Root simply piled up the runs with relentless volume.And Williamson quietly went about his business amidst all the hype around the others, bringing stability to New Zealand cricket with the same understated assurance with which he batted.What united them all, however, was greatness, or at least the path to it.Now that Williamson has become the first member of the Fab Four to retire from international cricket, his exit naturally leaves behind an interesting question: where does he fit into the four?But perhaps this is not the time for such a debate.Not yet.Because, on his own, away from the endless comparisons and rankings, Williamson has put together a career worth thinking about in its own right.And perhaps it’s also a good time to look back at what these four managed to achieve during the years they were all active together, an era that for many defined modern Test batting itself.

Four giants, separated by a beard

The most remarkable thing about the Fab Four is how close they ended up becoming. After thousands of runs and more than a decade of cricket, their Test averages occupy a remarkably narrow corridor.The best is Steve Smith with 56.06. Williamson follows in 54.06. Root and Kohli trail but the difference between the highest and the lowest is less than ten runs.

Historically, great careers are announced loudly. Smith’s career is remembered for its outrageous highlights. Kohli is all about dominance and drama. The root is for longevity and volume.Williamson’s legacy is harder to wrap up because he simply emerged every season and added another layer.After 25 Tests, he had only 1,385 runs, the fewest of the four. Smith and Root have already crossed 2,100. Kohli has also surged ahead. At that stage, Williamson looked like the fourth member of the quartet. Definitely the least effective.As the years passed, something strange happened. The gaps have disappeared. Smith had a huge peak. Kohli has had a long run. Root had unmatched volume. Williamson had neither. He simply folded.In the end, despite playing fewer Tests than Root and about a dozen less than Smith, he was level with them in virtually every meaningful tempo.

When New Zealand won, Williamson added

But runs are one thing. Next are the winning runs. Strip away every draw and defeat and focus only on the wins and Williamson’s numbers become extraordinary.New Zealand won the Tests, averaging 81.1. Smith averaged 64. Root 62. Kohli 51.

22 of his 33 Test sets were won by NZ. For context, Williamson spent his career playing for the smallest cricketing nation among the four.New Zealand has never had India’s depth, Australia’s production line or England’s endless matches. His runs carried disproportionate weight.The fourth inning tells a similar story. He also batted last five hundreds, the most in Test history alongside Younis Khan. Four came in successful chases, equaling Graeme Smith’s record. His fourth innings average of 50.8 comfortably leads the Fab Four.

Home comforts, but no hollow numbers

However, every great batsman carries an accusation. For Williamson, the charge was simple. Homemade songs. His home average of 65.76 outstrips his away average of 45.41. On the surface, critics have ammunition.But an outside average over 45 is itself a sign of an elite Test batter. Moreover, New Zealand pitches have rarely resembled a batting paradise. They offered seam movement, weather and unpredictability rather than endless runs.More remarkably, Williamson scored a century against all nine Test opponents he faced. He remains the only New Zealander to do so.

Captain leading from the front

And as has been the case with all four at some point in their careers, eventually the added responsibility of captain arose.But it was here that Williamson, somewhat surprisingly, seemed to bring out the best in a way that Kohli, Root and Smith could not.The armband affected each of them differently. Root’s bat dipped under the load. Kohli’s average soared during his reign only to collapse once the captain disappeared.Smith’s extraordinary tenure produced absurd numbers before it came to an abrupt end.However, Williamson did not experience any of these curves. Instead, he was boosted by the captaincy.Before leading New Zealand, he averaged 49. That rose to 57 during his years as captain. And remarkably, it rose further to 60 after he left the role.

Smith averaged an amazing 67.7 as captain. Kohli won most often. Root struggled under the burden. However, Williamson’s chapter carries one distinction that no other has. World Test Championship.He led New Zealand to the inaugural title at Southampton in 2021, defeating India. Among the Fab Four, he walks away alone with the ICC Test crown as captain.Kohli reached two finals and lost both. Root and Smith did not reach either. For a player so often described as underrated, it remains the loudest line on his CV.

Different rhythms, different careers

Smith reached 5000 runs in just 52 Tests and 20 centuries in just 53. His peak years bordered on the absurd. Root has become an accumulator. Kohli was a burst followed by a slowdownWilliamson became a fixture. Never the fastest. Rarely the slowest. Always present.

He reached 9,000 runs in 103 Tests. Root needed 104. Kohli 115. Smith 96. Thirty centuries arrived in 97 Tests, comfortably ahead of Root and Kohli and not too far behind Smith’s extraordinary pace.

Defy age

Batters usually peak in their late twenties. Then inevitably comes the decline. Williamson rejected the script. He got better with age. His early thirties produced a 66.7 average, the highest phase of his career.Compare that with Kohli. The Indian great averaged nearly 59 in his early 20s before dropping to 39 and eventually 26. Smith’s outrageous peak came earlier. Root has proven to be the most resistant to aging and continues to score strongly.

Until now, comparisons have mostly been limited to the Fab Four themselves. But it’s worth asking another question: how much better were these men than those around them?Seen through this lens, Smith sits on top. His average was nearly 80 percent above the global batting average of his era. Williamson followed with 74 per cent, Root on 64 and Kohli on 52.Again, the margins are remarkably narrow.But perhaps another number describes Williamson better than any average ever could. Share of team rides.Williamson accounted for 16.4 percent of all New Zealand runs scored in the Tests he played. Smith contributed 16.1 per cent of Australia’s runs. Root had 15.7 per cent for England, while Kohli had 14.6 per cent for India.

Williamson’s best year in 2015 produced 1,172 runs at 90.2, yet he rarely enters conversations dominated by Smith’s Ashes peaks or Kohli’s imperial phases. But Williamson was always there, scoring and always relevant.And now, fittingly, he becomes the first of the Fab Four to leave. There is no dramatic comeback, no farewell tour and no unfinished business.Simply with 9,515 runs at 54.06, 33 hundreds and the quiet satisfaction of a career complete. For years, the Fab Four debate has been endlessly searching for a winner.Maybe it was always the wrong question. Williamson showed that greatness didn’t always need drama. Sometimes it could come off gently. And sometimes, after sixteen years, it could leave anyway.