Many have forgotten Martin Crowe. Considered the greatest Test batter New Zealand has produced, his legacy seems forgotten. Wasim Akram still rates Crowe as perhaps the toughest batter he bowled to and the first to crack the reverse swing code of the two WWs.
Two years before he left this world, Crowe coined the term ‘Fab 4’. He wouldn’t have thought that perhaps an article he wrote would leave such a lasting effect. The four batters he mentioned, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson, continue to dominate and are considered some of the greatest to ever grace cricket.
Such was his genius. Ideally, Fab 4 should end the moment all of these players retire. And if anyone had the power to rename them, it should have been Crowe. But everyone seems hellbent on finding the replacement for them, a new Fab 4. Perhaps that’s how the trend will go from now on.
The next Fab 4
Two modern-day white-ball greats for England, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, have attempted to name their new Fab 4 as well. The leg spinner thinks they’ll be Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell.
“Brook, Gill, Jaiswal, and Bethell. In the next five or six years, he will be there,” Rashid said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
| Brook | Gill | Jaiswal | Ravindra | Bethell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test (Runs & Average) | 2820 & 57.55 | 2647 & 41.35 | 2209 & 50.20 | 1224 & 42.20 | 271 & 38.71 |
| ODI (Runs & Average) | 947 & 36.42 | 2775 & 59.04 | 15 & 15 | 1233 & 44.03 | 317 & 35.22 |
| T20I (Runs & Strike Rate) | 873 & 147.21 | 578 & 139.27 | 723 & 164.31 | 452 & 136.14 | 281 & 154.39 |
Earlier, Cameron Green was also included in this debate but he’s forgotten now. Bethell seems to be the hot commodity now. And shockingly, no one seems interested in Dewald Brevis either. Unlike Adil, Moeen has picked Rachin Ravindra as the fourth contender.
“A lot of people know that he (Bethell) has not scored a 100 in any professional cricket, but it’s the way he bats. His issue is actually going to be a bit of injuries. He gets injured a lot. He is a very naturally talented, gifted player. He has good power. I like his technique. So three (Brook, Gill, and Jaiswal) are there, and I am going to go with Ravindra, and I am going to go with Bethell at 5,” said Moeen.
