By Satya Narayan Misra* in Bhubaneswar, June 15, 2026: It was Martin Crowe, the godfather of New Zealand batting, who coined the term ‘Fab Four’ to capture the upcoming genius of Kohli, Root, Williamson and Smith. They were taking over the Fab Four of the previous decade, Sachin, Lara, Ponting & Dravid. Kane picked up the mantle from Crowe, whom Wasim Akram considers the best player he bowled to, and became the most prolific of all black caps. He averaged 50 in test and near fifty in ODI format, won a World Test Championship in 2021.

But it was only in the World Cup final of 2019, when he lost to England through a ludicrous rule, where a trophy was awarded to England on boundary count, the world noticed the way he kept his cool, composure and sangfroid. The Press Conference ended celebrating the man who lost the match. That makes him sui generis as a captain.

In a sport that has industrialised controversy, Williamson simply declined to participate, particularly when every player’s adrenaline is pumping and the coveted trophy was slipping out of the hand due to brutally arbitrary rule. He was possibly the coolest captain the world has seen; clearly reminiscent of Frank Worrel’s dignified composure after losing the series to the Australians in 1960. Imran Khan & M S Dhoni come as close seconds!

Kane the Batsman

Though he made a hundred on Test debut, for the first few years of his career, he looked like a batsman fit only for the longest format of the game. But he has been able to adjust since, shift gears, and make a huge impact in limited over cricket too. He had solid technique –compact, tight and correct –and also a vast range of strokes on either side of the wicket, both against quality pace and spin, relying more on timing and placement than on power.

Playing late with soft hands, his ability to guide any delivery to the third man defied geometry. Playing late and straight, he was the Master of the Third Man, just as Sachin was of straight drive, Virat in his cover drive , Ponting with his pull and Lara with high back-lift sweep. Ken would be remembered for his knock of 140 against Australia in a Test match in 2015 on a notoriously difficult Gabba pitch against an elite pace attack and 116 in an ODI successful chase in Delhi against India, displaying brilliant mastery against pace and spin and a quick-fire 95 he made off 48 balls in a dramatic T 20 tie match against India in 2020.

Kane The Cool Cat

In a press conference he was asked: How are you so nice? A half grin creased his face, his eyes became narrow slits, a blush tinged his bearded cheek while he grappled with the query. His personality reminds one of areal gentlemen in the pantheon of game of cricket, marked by sledging and high voltage drama.

Kane was in the company of gentlemen like Rahul Dravid from India, AB Devillers from South Africa, Adam Gilchrist from Australia, Worrell from West Indies, Sangakara from SriLanka and Sir Jack Hobbs from England. Here is a man who will give catching practice to his dog in the backyard and post cute videos. Joe Root pays fulsome compliments to him for ‘his gentlemanly conduct’. Virat highly values his friendship. It’s not because he lacked fire and competitive spirit. But he never confused fire with theatrics.

The Fab Five

Cricket is a game of numbers, where statistics often obfuscates the quality and character of an innings . Here is how the numbers stacked up against the Fab Five (including AB Devillers).

Name            No of Tests     No of Runs     Average          No of ODIs      Runs Scored       Average

Joe Root            164                  13952                         50.7           189                   7577                  49.5
AB DeVillers     114                    8765                         50.6           228                  9577                  53.5
Kane Williams  110                    9515                         54               175                   7256                 48.6
ViratKohli          123                   9230                        46.8            311                  14797                 58.7
Steve Smith       123                  10763                        56                170                   5800                43.2

Based on the above, one may conclude that Smith is by far the best in test matches, while Virat is quite clearly the pick of white ball cricket, closely followed by DeVillers. But as Prof Aaron Levenste in wittily observes: “Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital”. These score cards do not reveal the quality of opposition bowlers they faced or no of wins they ensured in the face of impossible situations.

Virat is unquestionably the best chase master while DeVillersis the most innovative with his 369 degree strokes. Root, Kane and Steve are uncannily classical, though Ken had the ability to get in to the top gear, if the exigency so demanded. Hadlee, the greatest bowler that New Zealand produced said: Ken was the architect of some of our greatest moments in cricket.

Time to Retire

New Zealand is often restricted to the lazy cliché of being a land of sheep, but this island nation often throws up the quietest of sporting icons. Ken represented that rarity, of a gentle colossus who was both stoic and pragmatic. His contribution cannot be captured by any score card. He was a player and a captain, whom nobody seemed capable of disliking.

Timing is the most important aspect for a batsman, as also the time for quitting. Steve Waugh had this dilemma, just as Sachin Tendulkar. When the 35 year old genius was asked why he was quitting he said: I have thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it has become clear now is the right time. “It is to his credit that his legacy would carry the aroma of his elegant batsman ship, the sangfroid of a captain and above all his endearing warmth towards one and all.

• Satya Misra has been following cricket closely since 1969