‘I never thought anything of it’: Kane Williamson ponders Fab Four tag along with Kohli, Root and Smith

Kane Williamson reflects on the legacy of the Fab Four Four batsmen, four different countries and one defining era of cricket. Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith have often been grouped together as the ‘Fab Four’, but Williamson says he never paid much attention to the brand during his playing career. Looking back, however, the former New Zealand captain considers their parallel paths and the opportunity to compete against each other to be truly unique.The quartet dominated the Test batting conversation for several years, each becoming their country’s leading run-scorer and match-winner. While comparisons between the four have been frequent, Williamson believes their individual journeys and approaches to the game made the era particularly special.Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Williamson reflected on how he viewed the much-discussed tag, admitting it was never something he consciously thought about.“I never thought anything of it, as you’d hear it a lot because it would get in front of you, but in some ways, like the finishing work now, it’s pretty unique,” Williamson said.“It’s not the numbers, but having quite parallel careers and really getting to know other people. Everyone does it differently, representing their different countries,” he added.

“We’ve been competing against each other for so long”: Williamson in the Fab Four era

Williamson believes the most memorable aspect of being part of the Fab Four was not the comparisons or statistical achievements, but the experience of sharing an era with three exceptional batsmen.“There was a point where we’ve been competing against each other for so long. We’ve played with Rooty in Yorkshire, Virat and I in the under-19s and Smudge as well. I think it’s quite unique,” he said.

Kane Williamson praises Kohli, Root and Smith

The former New Zealand captain also spoke about his relationship with the other three batsmen, admitting he spent more time with some than others. Williamson revealed that he shared considerable time with Kohli and Root, while his interactions with Smith were relatively limited. However, he expressed admiration for all three, particularly the different ways they approached the game.“I mean, for the most part, they’re all pretty different. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Virat and Rooty, a bit with Smudge over the years, but yeah, some more than others. They’re all different characters,” he said.“I just loved watching them and how they went about it. I admired the way they did it,” Williamson added.