.
This group of men were aptly called the “Beatles” of batting and they went down in the record books as some of the greatest hitters of all time
When it comes to the Big Four accounting firms, they are all over 30.
But that doesn’t mean they are all in decline.
From 2014 to 2017, Steve Smith was undoubtedly the standout. During that period, his averages in each year were 81.85, 73.70, 71.93 and 76.76.
However, if you look at the data, Williamson is the only one of the four to average less than 50 points between 2014 and 2024. That was in 2016, when he averaged 47 points.
Kohli’s best years have been similar to Smith’s, while Root has arguably been the best player of the post-Covid years.
Just like Messi and Ronaldo, there is always a debate about who is the best.
These four areas are difficult to interpret and are subjective in many ways.
But statistically, what is the difference between them?
Steve Smith
Steve Smith. Getty Images
A man with the most unique skills.
Once Australia stopped trying to make Smith a second Shane Warne leg-spinner, Smith was able to focus on batting, and his efforts paid off.
2014 was his best year, and he played against many strong teams. He achieved good results against England, South Australia and India. He continued to do so until the end of 2017.
But then the ball-tampering scandal happened in 2018. He was away from the team for a year, and it remains an asterisk on Smith’s career and what he could have accomplished.
However, in 2019, he made a strong comeback.
The run of goals at Edgbaston wowed most people. Then came the 211 at Old Trafford. Smudge was really back to his best.
Unfortunately, it has been in steady decline since then.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, fewer Test matches were played in 2020. One of the five matches in 2021 saw a century, but two more were scored the following year.
2023 was an inconsistent year for Smith. He hit three impressive centuries but at an average of just 42.22. This score is even considered low, which shows his undeniable legend.
The past 12 months have not been easy for Smith. He is yet to hit a hundred from his 13th batting appearance and his tenure as an opener has been short.
Smith started this India series with a scoreless 17-2 after falling down the order again. Whether it’s a slump in form or just age, one thing is for sure: he absolutely needs to get on a high, and he needs to get on a high soon.
It’s easy to say that he has been replaced by Travis Head as Australia’s best batsman, and the title of the world’s best batsman may be out of his reach at the moment.
Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson will play against Australia in March 2024. Getty Images
Williamson’s career average score is 54.34 points, ranking second among the four superstars, and Smith’s career average score is slightly higher than him, at 56 points.
Williamson is often left out of discussions of the “best in the world”, and you could probably put that down to the fact that he doesn’t play for one of the top three cricket-playing nations.
But his consistent numbers speak for themselves.
He rarely has a bad year. The only time he failed to score a Test century was in 2011, in only his second year playing Tests.
In the past two years, he has scored seven centuries, three against South Africa, two against Sri Lanka, one against England and one against Bangladesh.
Williamson’s only weakness? His inability to play against strong teams.
He averaged less than 40 against Australia, England and India.
The rest are all over 60.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli celebrates scoring during the match against Australia in Perth. Getty Images
Kohli’s batting ability is unquestionable and of the four players on this list, he has the most box-office appeal and has performed well in all three formats of the game.
But he has the lowest Test average of all players, at just 47.72, which can be attributed to a few poor years in the latter part of his career.
The Indian star has not hit any century from 2020 to 2022. A total of 20 matches.
In 2023, Kohli seems to be back to his best form.
In the match against Australia in Ahmedabad, they scored 186 runs, while against the West Indies they scored 121 runs.
But 2024 has not been a good year for Kohli, who has failed to hit a half-century in his first seven matches of the year.
He seemed to silence his critics by hitting a century against Australia in the series opener in Perth, but the performance in Adelaide was dismal.
If you look at Kohli’s record against Australia – a team often seen as the benchmark from a bowling perspective – he loves to score hundreds in Test matches when the pressure is at its peak.
We have played Australia nine times, seven of which were away from home.
How the 36-year-old finishes this series will determine his standing among his peers.
Joe Root
Joe Root celebrates after scoring a hundred on the third day of the second Test between England and New Zealand. Hannah Peters via Getty Images
Initially, when Brendan McCullum took over as England coach, you might have thought Root wasn’t suited to the Hoops tactic.
Think again, because this former captain has reached a level we’ve never seen before.
From 2014 to 2020, Root only averaged more than 50 points in three calendar years.
Despite his potential, Root was never considered on par with Kohli, Smith or even Williamson, despite being a better name in the sport.
But now, there’s every reason to believe he’s surpassed them all.
Of the past four years, 2022 was his toughest year, with an average of 45.75, but there were still five centuries in it, and this year he cut many of them for fun.
India scored 122 not out in Ranchi. He scored another 122 against West Indies in Nottingham. Sri Lanka at home? Two consecutive 100s.
He then scored a staggering 262 against Pakistan in Multan, and then 106 in the recent series-winning away game against New Zealand.
Despite Root’s recent form, former Australia coach Darren Lehmann said in November that he did not consider Root to be as great a player as Smith or Kohli.
“I didn’t put him in that position,” he told the ABC.
Lehmann’s suggestion that failing to score a century in Australia meant Root was not a great player sparked a backlash on social media.
The other three have enjoyed great success almost everywhere, and next year’s Ashes series could be a great opportunity for Root to answer the last question mark.
Who could be the next big four?
Marnus Labuschagne originally looked set to make the list, but his recent dip in form may make him a potential slouch.
India’s rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal has played 16 Test matches at an average of 54.89 and has scored four centuries.
Babar Azam was once placed on the same level as these four Pakistani stars and although he is only 30 years old, the Pakistani star needs to get back to his best form as soon as possible.
Babar Azam has been in poor form recently. AP
Shubman Gill is only 25 years old but has already played 30 Test matches and scored 500 runs.
Cameron Green is one of Australia’s new generation talents, but whether his bowling skills will affect his future batting numbers remains to be seen.
Harry Brook is a player who has represented England in the world, but the question is how long can his attacking style last? If it can continue, it will be a great thing for Test cricket.
Rachin Ravindra is the flag bearer for the New Zealand team and there is no doubt that he is the future of the Black Caps batting line-up.
While it won’t be easy to create a modern-day big four like Kohli, Smith, Root and Williamson, there is still a lot of potential.