London [UK], Janu 16 (ANI): Former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton picked up the ‘Fab Four’ batters of this generation, with the former England skipper naming a Pakistani star as one of his picks while Atherton picked two rising left-handers in his list alongside the common picks, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and England’s Harry Brook.
‘Fab Four’ was a term coined by former New Zealand player Martin Crowe back in the early 2010s while picking up names which he felt would dominate world cricket for the next few years. He picked up star India batter Virat Kohli, England’s Joe Root, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and Australia’s Steve Smith.
Now with all the aforementioned stars in the age bracket of 34-36 near the end of their careers, the talks around a new ‘Fab Four’ have picked up in the 2020s, especially with Virat and Smith struggling with their form and consistency.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Hussain said after picking up Jaiswal and Brook, “Saim Ayub’s just had this injury and it is not sure whether he will be fit for the Champions Trophy, but he could be a dynamic player at the top of the order for Pakistan across all formats.”Hussain picked up Australia’s Travis Head as his final pick before Atherton informed him that the 31-year-old does not qualify for the discussion owing to his age.
Atherton went on to choose Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra along with Jaiswal and Brook as the new ‘Fab Four’.
In 35 international matches last year, Ayub scored 1,254 runs at an average of 33.00, a strike rate of over 89, with three centuries and five fifties in 41 innings and his best score being 113. He has outdone star batter Babar (1,134 runs in 35 matches with eight fifties) and is the second-highest run-getter for Pakistan.
It is his ODI stats that look the most attractive. In nine matches, he has made 515 runs at an average of 64.37, with a strike rate of above 105. He scored three centuries and a fifty, with the best score of 113, with two of them coming in South Africa that paved the way for a landmark clean sweep for Pakistan under Rizwan.
Coming to Jaiswal, he scored 1,478 Test runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.74 last year, with three centuries (two double tons) and 11 fifties in 29 innings, with the best score of 214. Including his 293 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 41.85 and two fifties, Jaiswal top-scored for India in international cricket last year and was overall second, with 1,771 runs in 23 matches and 37 innings at an average of 52.08, with three tons and 11 fifties.
In nine Tests in 2024, Kamindu took the cricketing world by storm due to his unbelievable conversion rate, scoring 1,049 runs in 16 innings at an average of 74.62, a strike rate of over 66. He scored five centuries and three fifties, with the best score of 182.
He tied with legend Aussie batter Don Bradman as the second-fastest player to reach 1,000 Test runs in just 13 innings. Kamindu also scored a fifty-plus score in eight successive Tests, which also were the first eight of his career, becoming the first player to do so.
Overall in 33 matches and 36 innings last year, he made 1,451 runs at an average of 50.03, with five centuries and five fifties, with best score of 182.
Across all of international cricket last year, Ravindra made 1,079 runs at an average of 37.20 in 19 matches and 31 innings, with two centuries and five fifties. His best score was 240. This included a fine run in Test cricket, making 984 runs in 12 matches and 24 innings at an average of 42.78, with two centuries and four fifties. (ANI)
