Fab Four debate: New Zealand’s Tim Southee rates Kane Williamson ahead of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root | Cricket News
New Zealand seamer Tim Southee on Sunday weighed in on the Fab Four debate and rated Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson more than India’s Virat Kohli as well as Steve Smith and Joe Root.
“I have probably bowled the most to Kane in the nets. It is always a tough challenge for us as bowlers to be tested one of the best in the world in the nets day in day out. To see Kane do it first hand has been amazing to watch. The others are phenomenal as well. There is a reason why they are called the Fab Four,” Southee said on the eve of New Zealand’s one-off Test against Afghanan at Greater Noida on Monday.
Kohli has the lowest Test average among the Fab Four and is the only player to average less than 50 among the lot (49.15). However, Kohli’s white ball numbers have been remarkable and are far superior to the rest of the three in both ODIs and T20Is.
Australian women’s team skipper Alyssa Healy on Saturday had also said she would put the Indian talisman at the bottom of Fab Four.
“I’m going to put Kohli as fourth. But I rate him as No. 1 in everything else. But if you’re basing it on numbers, Kohli will sit fourth for me. I’m looking at it analytically,” Healy said speaking on the LNR Sport podcast.
“I think about how much cricket he plays and that’s where I look at his stats. And they are remarkable based on the sheer amount of cricket he plays and the pressure he is under,” she added.
