Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has suggested that Joe Root falls slightly short of being considered an "all-time great" alongside Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. Lehmann believes Root’s inability to score a century in an Ashes series in Australia is a key factor separating him from the group often referred to as the "Fab Four."
Root, with 35 Test centuries—the highest for an England batter—has played 27 innings in Australia, averaging 35.68 with a top score of 89. Speaking on ABC Sport, Lehmann highlighted the achievements of Smith, Kohli, Williamson, and Rohit Sharma, who have all scored centuries in challenging conditions globally. He described Root as "a great player" but suggested his absence of a hundred in Australia places him "a rung below."
The term "Fab Four" was coined by the late Martin Crowe in 2014, predicting these players would become Test cricket’s modern greats. Since England’s last Ashes tour, Root has been in remarkable form, registering 12 centuries and 11 fifties.
Lehmann’s comments followed Australia’s heavy defeat to India in the opening Test of their current series, where Kohli recorded his 30th Test century and seventh in Australia.
As England prepares for their three-Test tour of New Zealand, starting Wednesday, the team led by Ben Stokes is also eyeing the Ashes series in the 2025-26 winter, hoping to reclaim the urn after a drawn series in 2023.