Joe Root Is Going To Finish On Top Amongst Fab 4: Shane Watson

Shane Watson, the former Australian all-rounder, believes England batsman Joe Root will end his Test career with more runs than the other members of the ‘Fab 4’ – Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. He also predicted that by the end of his career, Root will be very near to Sachin Tendulkar’s Test record and that he may even exceed the Indian superstar.

Root has scored 10015 runs in 118 Tests for England, averaging 49.57 runs per innings. Smith has 8010 runs from 85 matches, whereas Kohli has 8043 runs from 101 Tests. Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Williamson has 7289 runs in 87 Tests.

He Has Got A Lot Of Cricket Left In Him, He Can Get Close To Sachin Tendulkar’s Record: Shane Watson

Root made headlines recently with his match-winning century against New Zealand in the Lord’s Test. On The ICC Review, Watson was asked how far the England great can go in terms of becoming the leading run-getter to which he replied, “He’s as good as anyone to be able to get as close as he can. For sure, he’s got a lot of great cricket in front of him, so I think he is going to get very close.

“Just by seeing where Joe Root is right now, he is the youngest one with Kane Williamson, who is 31 as well. Those two have still got a fair way to go. I think Joe Root is going to finish on top. For the other guys, it depends on how much cricket they continue to play. They’ve still got a lot of cricket left in them.”

Watson believes Root might be even more dangerous with the bat given that he is no longer England’s Test captain. He elaborated: “Now that he is not captain, he’s going to have greater freedom. The pressure’s just off and I’d be very surprised if he just doesn’t take off again and make the most of the freedom that he’s going to have.”

Tendulkar and Ponting have the most Test runs of all time. The Indian legend has 15921 runs from 200 games, whereas the Australian legend has 13378 runs from 168 Tests.

Also Read: ENG vs NZ: ‘Joe Root Has Gone Far Ahead’ – Saba Karim On England Batter’s Comparison With Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, And Kane Williamson