Joe Root's relentless pursuit of Test match runs has impressed his fellow ‘Fab Four’ member Kane Williamson. As the quartet of Root, Williamson, Steve Smith, and Virat Kohli continue to define a generation of batting excellence, it’s the England international who currently stands tall with a staggering 22 centuries in his last 61 Tests. Root recently surpassed legendary figures to climb to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list, now just 2,378 runs shy of Sachin Tendulkar’s towering record.
New Zealand stalwart Williamson was mighty impressed with Root’s growth in red-ball cricket in the last few years and praised his longevity and consistency with admiration. He also spoke on Root’s composure and mentioned that the cricketer can go the distance if he manages to keep up with the form.
“Joe’s just remarkable with what he’s doing and where he’s going and the things he’s ticking off, at the moment. It’s incredibly special and great to follow. I’m just full of admiration for that. He’s a little bit younger than me, which is even scarier, he could keep going and it feels like he could well do for about 20 years!” Williamson said, as quoted by The Independent.
While Root continues to anchor England’s red-ball resurgence, the complexion of the Fab Four has begun to shift. Kohli, the elder statesman of the group, brought the curtain down on his Test career earlier this year, a move that took many, including his peers, by surprise.
“It’s a reality at some stage. For someone like Virat, who made that decision to go out on his own terms and do what he’s done for the game, that’s amazing. That’s so special. Everyone was caught by surprise because you feel like it will never happen, but it does. I’m more aware of that than most – and that’s great,” he added.
Kane Williamson reacts sharing dressing room with David Warner
For Williamson himself, the current chapter is more fluid. Having opted out of New Zealand’s Test series in Zimbabwe, he’s spending the summer in England, splitting time between Middlesex in county cricket and captaining London Spirit in The Hundred. Currently, he is sharing the dressing room with former Australia international David Warner, someone he has played with for several years in Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“He’s without doubt been one of the greatest in the franchise T20 game. The heights he reached in the Indian Premier League, he’s so highly-regarded, he’s been one of the all-time greats. He’s a little bit further down the line in terms of his career but he still has that quality in him and it’s great to have him in our team,” Williamson said.