The legacy of Test cricket's 'Fab Four' continues to shine brightly, even as the era they defined begins to fade. The passing of Martin Crowe, a sage and shrewd analyst of the game, marked a turning point. His prescient column from 2014, which grouped together the four batters who came to define a cricketing generation, has proven remarkably accurate. Crowe correctly predicted that Williamson, Root, Smith, and Kohli would all take turns as the No 1 Test batsman and that they would go on to captain their countries. And he was right. Now, with a combined tally of 141 Test hundreds, the quartet continues to dominate the sport.
However, the passing of time has brought a sense of sadness. Kohli has retired from red-ball cricket, Williamson no longer possesses a New Zealand central contract, and Smith and Root are approaching the twilight of their careers. The very future of Test cricket is under threat, with uncertainty over the next iteration of the World Test Championship and an erosion at the margins in the volume being provided. Take Williamson, for example, who had made just three Test appearances in 18 months before arriving in Belfast last week for this four-match European tour.
Despite the changing landscape, the 'Fab Four' remain a testament to the sport's rich history. Their longevity and dedication to the format have made them great ambassadors for Test cricket. However, it will take want and willpower for any cricketer to replicate their success. The very future of Test cricket is constantly under threat, with uncertainty over the next iteration of the World Test Championship and an erosion at the margins in the volume being provided.
Crowe, who proposed a version of the WTC in 2009, would have seen this all coming. His words ring ever truer: 'If we don't do something soon then the bottom teams in particular will wilt away and the bottom will fall out of the pinnacle format of the game. Test cricket needs a meaning and a new motivation among all these other shorter-version competitions that are scheduled every year.' The 'Fab Four' may be approaching the end of their careers, but their legacy will continue to shine brightly, even as the era they defined begins to fade.
