The cricket world has been dominated by four exceptional batsmen over the last decade and a half. Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Virat Kohli have consistently delivered outstanding performances. Recently, in the Tri-series being played in Pakistan, Kane Williamson ended his long wait for a century in ODIs, scoring an unbeaten 133 against South Africa after 21 innings. However, his fellow Fab-4 members, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith, are still awaiting a century in ODIs.
Fab-4’s Long Wait for a Century
Virat Kohli has not scored a century in ODIs for 453 days, with his last appearance in the format being limited due to the Indian team playing only three ODIs in 2024. His 50th ODI century came in a match against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup, where he scored 117 runs. In contrast, he has been in excellent form in Test cricket, scoring centuries in four of his last eight Test innings.
Steve Smith is another member of the Fab-4 who is experiencing a long wait for a century in ODIs. His last ODI century was against New Zealand in September 2022, with a score of 105 runs. Despite being one of the top Test run-scorers in 2024, Smith has had to wait for 883 days for his next ODI century. He has scored 12 centuries in ODIs so far.
Joe Root has also been performing exceptionally well in Test cricket, with 19 centuries in the last four years. However, his wait for a century in ODIs has been significantly longer, at 2,068 days. His last ODI century came in a match against the West Indies in June 2019. The contrast between their performances in Test and ODI cricket highlights the challenges these exceptional batsmen face in adapting to different formats.
