Kane Williamson breaks silence on the ‘Fab Four’ tag alongside Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has opened up about cricket’s famous ‘Fab Four’ debate, revealing that he never paid much attention to the label during his playing career. However, looking back at the era he shared with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith, Williamson believes their parallel journeys made it a truly unique period in international cricket.

Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Williamson reflected on the comparisons that followed the four batters for years. Rather than focusing on statistics, rankings or arguments about who was the best, he highlighted the experience of competing against three exceptional players while representing different countries.

Kane Williamson opens up on the ‘Fab Four’ comparison

The ‘Fab Four’ label became popular as Williamson, Kohli, Root and Smith emerged as leading batters of their generation. Their performances, particularly in Test cricket, regularly sparked debates among fans about who had established the strongest record.

Despite the attention, Williamson said the tag was never something he actively considered.

“I never thought anything about it. You’d hear it often because it would get put in front of you, but in some ways, now that I’ve finished, it feels unique. Not because of the numbers, but because we had quite parallel careers and actually got to know each other. Everybody did it differently while representing their respective countries. I look back on it not with pride in the tag or anything like that, but because there was a moment in time when we competed against each other for so long. I played with Rooty (Joe Root) at Yorkshire, Virat and I go back to the Under-19 days, and Smudge, it’s just quite unique,” Williamson said on the Stick to Cricket Podcast.

For Williamson, the memorable aspect was not being placed in a group with three other stars, but sharing an era in which all four developed their careers and competed at the highest level.

Williamson reveals his relationship with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith

Although the four players were frequently discussed together, their relationships away from international competition were not identical.

Williamson shared a county cricket dressing room with Root at Yorkshire and knew Kohli from their Under-19 days. His interactions with Smith, meanwhile, were comparatively limited.

“I mean, largely they’re all quite different. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Virat and Rooty, and a little bit with Smudge over the years, but yeah, more so with some than others,” he said.

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What Williamson admired about the Fab Four?

Williamson also spoke about his admiration for the way Kohli, Root and Smith approached their cricket. Rather than treating them simply as rivals, he appreciated their individual styles and the standards they maintained for their respective teams.

“They’re all different characters, but I loved watching them and how they went about things. I admired the way they did it. Personally, I always came back to my job and the team,” Williamson said.

That mindset reflected Williamson’s understated approach throughout his international career. While public discussions often focused on individual achievements, his priority remained contributing to New Zealand’s success.

Williamson retired from international cricket in June this year after a 16-year career, finishing as New Zealand’s leading run-scorer with 19,346 runs across formats. His record included 9,515 Test runs and 33 centuries in the longest format.

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