On Sunday, during the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, former England captain Joe Root passed the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. Root became the first member of the ‘Fab Four’ to reach 10,000 runs in the longest format of the game. Root has surpassed Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson in terms of total runs scored by at least 2,000 runs. This comes after Root was labelled the group’s weakest member only a few years earlier. Is Root the finest of the Fab Four cricketers? Let’s have a look at their overall numbers.
Joe Root has surpassed Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson in terms of total runs scored in Tests by at least 2,000 runs.
Comparing Fab Four of world cricket: Tests
Given his batting average, which is the highest among the fab four, former Australian captain Steve Smith appears to be a superior batsman in Test cricket. Joe Root, on the other hand, takes the lead in terms of total runs scored, with at least 2,000 more than the other three batters on the list. However, all of the batsmen are in a close race for the most centuries, with Virat Kohli and Steve Smith taking the lead with 27 centuries each.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Virat Kohli | 101 | 171 | 8,043 | 49.95 | 27 | 28 |
| Joe Root | 118 | 218 | 10,015 | 49.57 | 26 | 53 |
| Steve Smith | 85 | 151 | 8,010 | 59.77 | 27 | 36 |
| Kane Williamson | 87 | 152 | 7,289 | 52.81 | 24 | 33 |
Comparing Fab Four of world cricket: ODIs
Virat Kohli is hands down a better player than Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson in the 50-over format of the game. Kohli has a superior average and has scored at least 6,000 more runs than the other three on the list. When it comes to centuries and half-centuries, Kohli once again takes the top spot with a whopping 43 centuries in 260 matches, 27 more than the second next batter on the list.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Virat Kohli | 260 | 251 | 12,311 | 58.07 | 43 | 64 |
| Joe Root | 152 | 142 | 6,109 | 51.33 | 16 | 35 |
| Steve Smith | 128 | 113 | 4,378 | 43.34 | 11 | 25 |
| Kane Williamson | 151 | 144 | 6,173 | 47.48 | 13 | 39 |
Comparing Fab Four of world cricket: T20Is
Virat Kohli once again takes the lead when it comes to T20 cricket. Kohli has more runs and has a better average than Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson when it comes to batting in the shortest format of the game. Kohli also has more half-centuries than the other three on the list, double the amount compared to the next-best batter in Kane Williamson. None of the batters from the Fab Four have scored a century in T20 international.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Virat Kohli | 97 | 89 | 3,296 | 51.50 | 0 | 30 |
| Joe Root | 32 | 30 | 893 | 35.72 | 0 | 5 |
| Steve Smith | 54 | 43 | 886 | 26.05 | 0 | 4 |
| Kane Williamson | 74 | 72 | 2,021 | 32.59 | 0 | 14 |
