Afridi names his Fab Four, doesn't include Kane Williamson
What's the story
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi is considered as one of the modern-day legends of the game. Even though he has taken retirement from international cricket, he still continues to make an impact in domestic T20 leagues. Recently, on social media platform Twitter, Afridi recently revealed his favorite batsmen whom he considers Fab Four. Interestingly, he picked budding Pakistan star Babar Azam over Kane Williamson.
Best batsmen
Kohli, Smith, Root and Azam top four in world: Afridi
On Twitter, Afridi hosted an interactive session with his fans, on Thursday. During this session, a fan asked Afridi about the best four batsmen, among active cricketers, in the world. Afridi said Virat Kohli, Babar Azam (Pakistan), England's Test captain Joe Root and Steve Smith (Australia) are the top four, as per him. "Virat Kohli, Babar, Root, Smith," wrote Afridi in his tweet.
Twitter Post
Afridi includes Kohli among world's four best batsmen
Virat Kohli, Babar, Root, Smith
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 19, 2019
Impressed
Afridi impressed by Kohli's T20I performance against South Africa
Talking about Kohli, Afridi recently also hailed the Indian captain's performance in the second T20I against South Africa, where he played a match-winning knock of 72 to steer India to a seven-wicket victory. "Congratulations Kohli! You are a great player indeed, wish you continued success, keep entertaining cricket fans all around the world," Afridi had tweeted following the match.
Twitter Post
Afridi in awe of Kohli's consistency
Congratulations @imVkohli You are a great player indeed, wish you continued success, keep entertaining cricket fans all around the world. https://t.co/OoDmlEECcu
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 18, 2019
T20I competition
Babar has better T20I average than Kohli
As of now, Kohli has an average of 50.85 in the T20Is. This is a monumental achievement by Kohli given the challenges this format presents. He is currently also in competition with Babar, who has a relatively better average than Kohli, of 54.2. However, it is to be noted that Kohli has maintained the average, playing over 70 T20Is, while Babar has played 30.
Author's take
Afridi wrong at comparing Kohli with Babar
While Afridi has gone on to include Kohli and Babar in the same league, the author does not agree. It should be noted that Babar has not played enough matches as Kohli. Asides T20Is, Babar has played 72 ODIs and just 21 Tests, where he averages 53.5 and 35.3. Meanwhile, Kohli has played 239 ODIs and 79 Tests, where he averages 60.3 and 53.1.
Test competition
Kohli in competition with Smith as the best Test batsman
As for his competition in Tests, Kohli is up against Smith, who is proving to be the next best Australian in the format after Don Bradman. Smith was phenomenal in the just-concluded Ashes, scoring 774 runs in seven innings at a Bradmanesque average of 110.57. Meanwhile, Kohli could only manage 136 runs in four innings against the Windies, at a below-par average of 34.