Sports · Cricket · 8 hrs ago
Kane Williamson Says Fab Four Era Looks Unique After Retirement
Kane Williamson says he now sees the Fab Four era as unique after retiring from international cricket.
He spent 16 years playing for New Zealand and finished as the country’s leading run-scorer, with 19,346 runs.
The Fab Four label grouped Williamson with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith, four leading batters of their generation.
New Zealand great Martin Crowe coined the term in 2014, describing the four as players who could shape international cricket’s future.
Williamson said he gave the comparisons little thought while playing, but now values their long careers running in parallel and the friendships they formed.
He and Root played together at Yorkshire, and he knew Kohli from their under-19 days.
Kane Williamson said he now sees the Fab Four era as unique, reflecting on his parallel career with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith.
He said he paid little attention to the comparisons while playing, although the tag was often raised.
Williamson said the four competed against one another for years and got to know each other.
He retired from international cricket in June after a 16-year career, according to News18.
Williamson said the quartet’s different approaches to representing their countries made the era special.
- Who
- Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, reflecting on the Fab Four: Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith.
- What
- Williamson said the era shared by the four batters felt unique in retrospect. He said he did not focus on the comparisons during his playing career.
- When
- November 10, 2026. The articles do not give the podcast recording date.
- Where
- The comments were made on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
- Why
- Williamson said the four had parallel careers, competed against each other for years and got to know one another.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The term Fab Four was coined by New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe for Kohli, Smith, Root and Williamson, according to News18.
Williamson retired from international cricket after a 16-year career, according to News18.
Williamson’s reflections on the Fab Four tag were reported by the three outlets.
- Fab Four
- Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith
- Podcast
- Stick to Cricket
- Williamson's international career
- 16 years
- Williamson's international retirement
- June; year not stated in the article
- Term coined
- 2014 by Martin Crowe
3 sources
What people are saying
I never thought anything about it. You would hear it often because it would get put in front of you, but in some ways, now that I have finished, it feels unique. Not because of the numbers, but because we had quite parallel careers and actually got to know each other
I just loved watching them and how they went about it. Admired the way that they did it.