Fab 4’s Record in ODIs at No. 4 Position

The Fabulous Four (Fab Four) is a term that cricket pundits came up with in order to club together the top four Test batters of the modern era. India's Virat Kohli, England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith, and New Zealand's Kane Williamson made the list. All these players have been producing top performances so far for their respective countries in ODIs over all these years. 

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However, they have also batted at the number four position on many occasions. The Number four spot in ODI demands a player who can stabilize the innings, build partnerships, and accelerate the run rate when required. So, over the years, these players have tried their best to emulate these traits and managed to come up with some significant contributions.    

Check Out the Dominance of the Fab 4: ODI Records at No. 4 Position

Kane Williamson:

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Kane Williamson for New Zealand (Image Source: Twitter)

This Kiwi batter has batted only on 10 occasions so far at this position. Kane Williamson has scored 221 runs, at an average of 22.10 with a strike rate of 64.43. He has only two fifties to his name at this position. However, Williamson has batted mostly at the number three position in his career so far. 

From 2010 to 2013, New Zealand tried him in this position. But, since his first chance in 2013 at the number three position, Williamson has never looked back. His best score in this position is 58 runs off 65 balls, including four boundaries and one six against West Indies in the second ODI of the series in 2012. 

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Steve Smith:

Steve Smith for Australia (Image Source: Twitter)

This star Australia batter has scored 748 runs at this position at an average of 35.61 with a strike rate of 90.44. He has batted in 23 innings only. Steve Smith has notched up six fifties and one century in this position. The only century came against South Africa in 2014. It was the fourth ODI of the series that took place in Melbourne. 

Smith batted at the number four position and scored 104 runs off 112 balls, including seven fours. In his career so far, he has played mostly at the number three but still, Australia use him sometimes at this position according to match situations. Even, in the 2019 World Cup, Smith batted at the number four position. 

Joe Root:

Joe Root for England (Image Source: Twitter)

Among all these players, Joe Root has played the most number of matches at this position. The stylish England batter has batted in this position 55 times. Root has scored 2013 runs, at an average of 41.08 with a strike rate of 80.03. He has 10 fifties and four tons to his name also. Notably, Root also has the second-best average among these players.

His best score of 121 runs in the number four position came against Sri Lanka during the 2015 ODI World Cup in Wellington. Till 2018, England used to use Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, and Alex Hales in their top order. Hence, Root was getting his chances at the number four slot. But, since 2018, Root got the chance to play at the number three position.       

Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli for India (Image Source: Twitter)

This former Team India skipper is way ahead of his Fab Four counterparts in terms of average. Virat Kohli has scored 1767 runs in 39 innings, at an average of 55.21 with a strike rate of 90.66. He has eight fifties and seven centuries to his name at this slot. During the earlier stage of his career, Kohli used to bat at this position.

Veteran players like Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid used to bat ahead of him in the batting order. Kohli’s best score in the number four position is 139* runs against Sri Lanka in the fifth ODI of the series in Ranchi in 2014. But, Kohli has solidified his position at number three as his career progressed and he is known as one of the best batters to ever play in that position.

Also Read: Top 5 Records Held by India in Asia Cup History