Is there a more tedious discussion in world cricket than whether Joe Root belongs in the so-called ‘fab four’?
We went down that inevitable rabbit role after Root’s brilliant 218 against India in an absorbing Chennai first Test.
Does Root now belong in the same discussion as Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli?
Is he fit to sit at the table of these titans of world cricket?
It really is cricket’s equivalent of the Leo Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo tedium.
Of course, cricket lends itself to arbitrary, fun groupings that stoke discussion.
Best combined XIs, best ever pace trios, best moustached middle-order batsmen, etc.
And the ‘fab four’ was originally a smart way to group the best young talent in the game.
Joe Root of England bats during day one of the First Test Match of the 2017/18 Ashes Series between Australia and England at The Gabba on November 23, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Four Test batsmen, all generational talents, all around the same age, and all (at least when the concept was born) of similar ability in the game’s longest format.
But in recent years when Root’s performances didn’t quite reach the level of his contemporaries, it’s been used as a stick to beat him with.
That is, that he didn’t ‘belong’ and had been left behind.
Since then it would come up incessantly online; when Root performed poorly it reaffirmed his spot outside the four, and even when he shone he was ‘still not up to the level of the other three’.
Root’s upward career trajectory somewhat tailed off as the others continued to rise in Test cricket.
But because of this, he was no longer thought of as one of the game’s most influential batsmen.
Which, as the last few weeks have shown, is wrong.
Not only is Root statistically in that conversation — he is the only current player alongside the aforementioned three and Marnus Labuschagne to average over 50 (minimum 20 innings) — but he arguably plays spin with greater ease than any current player.
For three consecutive Tests in Asia, Root has been playing a different game to everyone else.
No England player had scored 150+ in three successive Tests since Walter Hammond in 1929.
Yet Root has done exactly that (innings of 228, 186 and 218 against Sri Lanka and India), on the subcontinent no less.
Let that sink in.
Ben Stokes, who put on a valuable 124 with Root in Chennai, summed up his recent form: “He makes us all feel pretty rubbish with how easy he makes batting look,” Stokes said.
“He has an answer and an option for everything that is thrown at him and it is a delight to watch…I’m not sure we have ever had an England player play spin so well, with such control, such ease. He is so consistent.”
Only Cheteshwar Pujara averages more against spinners in Test cricket — a serious achievement for a player hailing from the north of England.
The ease with which he uses his feet, navigates the rough, commits early to getting forward or back, and counter-punches his way out of difficult situations is brilliant.
‘Different gravy’, as they’d say in the motherland.
Perhaps one of the best and most underrated aspects of his ability against spin, is his capacity to get off strike so easily, by opening the face of the bat, using his feet and sweeping with unyielding efficiency.
Beyond all that, though, he is simply a lovely player to watch.
While Pujara grinds out innings with unbending concentration and soft hands, Root moves around the crease with an almost impossible ease
“He is always a joy to watch. Even when he is slightly out of nick, you never lose that rhythm of his play,” Former England captain Nasser Hussain told The Cricket Show on Sky Sports.
“If he carries on going like this, he will break every (England) record; number of Tests, the number of runs. But also the way he gets them. If anyone watched that 120 today, that was so pleasing on the eye. So it’s not just the runs or stats, it’s the value to your team and your teammates.”
So can we just park the fab four chat for a moment?
Whether he’s in the made-up gang or not, we can all appreciate his craft at the crease that is so brilliantly on show at the moment.
Cari
Roar Rookie
Averages present us with the cold facts and nothing else and there lies their weakness. Take Roots last game for example. A double hundred in the first innings and forty in the second. So a high rating for the first bat and a much lower rating for the second. What averages don't tell us is that his forty was the teams highest score on pitch with the top breaking up. there are countless other examples.
Gee
Roar Rookie
Where are all the articles from our many, many Indian writers? I thought India are supposed to be the modern day great team but one flogging at home from England and things have gone quiet :)
Micko
Roar Rookie
True.
Gnasher
Guest
Second-highest average ever among batsmen visiting the subcontinent apparently, only Sobers above him. One fact I would love to find about Root is the average score when he comes in to bat. England's instability at opener and number 3 (though looking a little better recently) has him regularly coming to the crease with less than 30 on the board. I wonder how that compares with his peers?
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Smith doesn't need that kind of special treatment. His average is easily the highest of anyone who has played more than 52 tests.
Fox
Roar Guru
Oh so let me get this straight you disregard his test record when he was still learning how to bat at that level and was picked as a spinner? No you don't and no one gets that special treatment in test cricket - no one and nor should Smith or anyone else.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
If you’d bothered to read the comment you’d have seen I was talking about the second half of his career. But, I know it’s irrelevant. You’re one of those cliched Aussies who’ve managed to convince yourself, to the amusement of other countries, that the world of sport is dominated by lantern-jawed Aussies bestriding the world stage like giants smiting all and sundry in any sport they turn their hand to. :laughing:
Cadfael
Roar Guru
He is good but it was interesting when the stats for his averages and totals came up for his performances against different test nations. Great against India, one of the best, but his stats against other countries was nowhere near this.
Shauno
Roar Rookie
NZ have 2 games against Eng in June
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Get him in on the Aussie pitches will be the plan. Bounce will do him in as it usually does!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
He might see them in the nets on occasion!
Fox
Roar Guru
Yea really? Seems Australia does also – since 2018 Australia has not won a single away series – they drew with England in the Ashes 2-2 holding on to the Ashes but not actually winning the series in England – Yep! Drew with Bangladesh 1-1 – lost to SA 3-1 – Lost to Pakistan 1-0 and lost two home series to India. NZ in the same period have beaten Pakistan 2-1 and Sri Lanka 1-0 away and only lost one away series and that was to Australia 3-0 and have not lost a single series at home including beating India and England – so yea its clear Australia need to be good home to huh? NZ away and home record since 2018 is better. Let me guess your going say but NZ didn’t tour SA …so what we toured Pakistan and did what Australia couldn’t and at home convincingly beat India which Australia couldn’t do twice so we can all make claims and counter claims. But the bottom line is Australia cannot brag about its away record lately and is in fact worse than NZ’s in the last 3 years as is their home record. Is it little wonder the go to card is the Kiwi loss in Australia as they don’t have much else to brag about! The last 3 years has not been that crash for Australian cricket – and lets not talk about that wee incident in SA! They have some class players no question but like so many side these days and perhaps more so than ever – home ground advantage is now huge in test cricket except that India seem to be challenging that in Australia and especially when you see how badly they just got done in England.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Only a rational person could come out with that, you mean?
JamesH
Roar Guru
WIlliamson can only play the teams he is scheduled to play, so it's not his fault that he's generally played weaker sides in the last three years, mostly at home. But that also exposes the pointlessness of your comments about him being the best batsman in the last three years. In that period, Williamson has only played three away tours - vs Pakistan (UAE), Australia and Sri Lanka. And he failed abysmally in two of those, averaging less than 20 (Australia) and less than 10 (Sri Lanka). No, he wasn't 100% in Australia but I'm sure he would admit he still should have performed better than that. Williamson has earned his time in the sun and he is a truly exceptional batsman. But this is one of those stats that doesn't paint the full picture. Steve Smith has been, by a comfortable margin, the best test batsman on the planet of the last 5 years or so. What he did in England and India on his last tours to those nations was just phenomenal. Quirky fact: Smith's average in NZ (in three innings!) is double that of Williamson. He also has a better average in England than Joe Root and is only 7 runs shy of Kohli's average in India (60 vs 67).
Fox
Roar Guru
Yes indeed i watched the entire matches. In the first test Nichols was dropped when he was already on 86 – the caught behind when he was on 3 in 33rd over was an illegal delivery so does not count at all. Nicholls dropped on 86 Shaheen Shah Afridi to Nicholls, dropped by the keeper Then this followed – note in this test he was 89 before he first dropped Nicholls on dropped 92 Nicholls dropped on 133 Even Hadlee and Coney have gone on record as this being the best side NZ has produced and Hadlee even stating its now the best attack they have ever had. He thinks Jamison will become one of NZ’s greatest bowlers and all round cricketers and the late great martin Crowe before he died said that Williamson is the best batsmen NZ has produced. So you think India were not determined to beat NZ when Jamison bagged a five wicket hall in his 1st ever test against India? I think you are being bit unfair there. But sure, he has to prove himself beyond home conditions but they are some figures he has for any player in just 6 tests with bat and ball, home conditions or not.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Ah well.....there's the argument that until Ringo joined that they weren't actually the Beatles.......he was arguably as intrisic to that grouping as anyone. And as a drummer - - he is very highly regarded by the likes of Dave Grohl and Jim Keltner - - too often a drummer is rated by what you see rather than what you don't see; by what you hear obviously rather than what melds a song together and tickles your senses without your knowing........and that's why it can be so subjective. So.....I'll take Kohli, Smith, Williamson and Root very happily and won't begrudge any of them!!!
Nick
Guest
Seems to have done that as captain by taking his team to the top of the test match championship table. Already led his team to four successive test series victories in the past twelve months including six consecutive wins in away test matches. Add to that six successive wins on the sub-continent. His dip in form seemed to coincide with taking on the responsibilities of captaincy but as his confidence in that sphere has grown and accelerated with Chris Silverwood's appointment as coach his batting form has gained an upward trajectory again.
Paul
Roar Guru
Fair enough about his record against India, but I come back to my point about dominating series. How has he done that in the past 4 years?
Nick
Guest
I'm not sure what more you expect of him against India. To date he has scored 1679 runs in 17 tests against them at an average of 62.19 with 5 centuries. He also has an excellent record against the other sub-continental countries with 1010 runs in 12 tests against Pakistan at an average of 56.11 and 1001 runs in 10 tests against Sri Lanka at an average of 58.88. He is almost certainly the best player of spin among the big four - and that includes Kholi - and arguably the best in the world. He's certainly a major influence on his fellow England players on how to play spin.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
I just love the last 3 tests by Root and Williamson respectively. Root with 228 & 1; 186 (silly run out) & 11; 214 & 40. (1st innings avg of 209.33). Williamson with 251; 129 & 21; 238. (1st innings avg of 206). In these 3 mantches - - Root has taken his career average up from 48.018 to 50.337, that's a handy +2.319 in 3 games. Williamson - - with less 2nd innings downers - has taken his up from 50.992 to 54.313; that's +3.321 in 3 games. Still a way off the SPD Smith career average but even Smith has never done what these 2 batters have produced......in their most recent 3 tests each. Astounding parallels. The sad thing is.............when does Williamson next play a test match?? Although - perhaps the guys are all the more making the most of the opportunities as they arise. The good players. The run hungry players aren't letter the moment slip by. (a positive out of the Covid interruptions???)