Kane Williamson stepped down as New Zealand Test captain on Thursday after more than six years in charge but will remain skipper of the ODI and T20 teams. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Board said that the 32-year-old will be replaced as Test captain by veteran fast bowler Tim Southee.

Also Read: Strike rate, knockouts, T20Is and Kane Willamson: A question needs to be answered

"Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honor."

"Captaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career, I feel the time is right for this decision."

said the 32-year-old Williamson who has led New Zealand since 2016

He said that following talks with New Zealand Cricket. He will remain as the captain of the white-ball team with two World Cups looming in the next two years and will also continue to play all three formats.

Williamson signs off as skipper having led New Zealand to 22 wins in 40 Test matches. Eleven of his 24 Test hundreds came when he was skipper -- a record for a New Zealand captain.

Southee, 34, will lead the team on their forthcoming tour of Pakistan with Tests in Karachi, starting on December 26. After that, he will lead the Kiwis in Multan beginning on January 3.

Tom Latham has been confirmed as Southee's vice-captain having previously led the side in Williamson's absence.

Southee has played 346 internationals and has skippered New Zealand's Twenty20 team on 22 occasions. He is New Zealand's 31st Test captain.

Read Also: BANvIND: Cheteshwar Pujara becomes India's 8th highest run-getter in Test cricket

"It's been a surreal few days and it's just a massive honor to be appointed as Test captain," said Southee.

"I love Test cricket. It's the ultimate challenge and I'm really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format".

New Zealand has appointed Rob Walter as the coach of all three formats of New Zealand men's cricket team in place of Gary Stead. Walter was the coach of South Africa's ODI and T20 teams from January 2023 to April this year. Prior to this, he coached for five years in New Zealand's Otago Province and Central Districts Association.

Also Read: ENG vs IND: England announce squad for the first Test against India

New Zealand cricket under Walter's coaching 

Under Rob Walter's coaching, South Africa made it to the semifinals of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the Champions Trophy this year. Not only this, he also played an important role in taking South Africa to the finals of the T20 World Cup last year. 

“It’s an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested,” Walter said. “I just can’t wait to get started. It’s exciting, it’s challenging and the opportunity is enormous.”

The 49-year-old Rob Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket's list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship.

He'll take over in time for New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-test series against Zimbabwe.

Stead step down from his role in March

Stead has been New Zealand's head coach across all three formats since 2018. New Zealand Cricket announced earlier this week that it was looking for a new coach to replace him.

Also Read: Pataudi Trophy renamed as Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy ahead of India vs England test series

Stead announced in March that he was stepping down from his role in limited-overs formats but wanted to stay on as Test coach. New Zealand Cricket, however, said it preferred to have one coach for all three formats.

The player who scores the most runs in a single season of the IPL wins the Orange Cap award. This award has been given to the highest run-scorers since the first season of the Indian Premier League (2008). Cricketers must consistently play some brilliant innings and deliver match-winning performances in a season to win the Orange Cap.  So, let's look at all the Orange Cap winners in IPL since 2008.

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Orange Cap History:

• Shaun Marsh (616 runs in 11 matches in 2008) was the first player to win the award.
• The record for most runs in a single IPL season is held by Virat Kohli (973 runs in the 2016 edition).
• David Warner has the record of winning the Orange Cap the most number of times (3).

Rules for Orange Cap:

• The Orange Cap is awarded to the leading run-scorer of the IPL season.
• The batsman who holds the Orange Cap during the season is allowed to wear it while in the field during the games, as long as he holds the top-scorer spot in the tournament.
• In a season where two or more batsmen are tied on runs, the batsman with a better strike rate is awarded the Orange Cap.
• In a season where an opposition batsman overtakes the tally of the current holder of the Orange Cap, the previous holder is allowed to wear the Cap until the end of that particular innings in which another batsman overtakes him.

Orange Cap winners list in IPL since 2008

2008 - Shaun Marsh

Shaun Marsh from Punjab Kings is the Orange Cap winner of the inaugural edition of the IPL. The Australian batsman started the IPL journey with a bang. He scored 616 runs in only 11 matches with an average of 68.4 and a strike rate of 139.68. His 616 runs include 1 century and 5 half-centuries.

2009 - Matthew Hayden

The next Orange Cap winner is Matthew Hayden. Even after his international retirement from the Australian Cricket team in early 2009, he proved his worth in that season. He showed a spectacular performance and scored a total of 572 runs in 12 matches. In the 2nd edition of IPL, he played for Chennai Super Kings and scored 5 half-centuries with an average of 52 and a strike rate of 144.81.

2010 - Sachin Tendulkar

The God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has also enlisted his name in this list of Orange Cap winners. In the 2010 IPL, the then captain of Mumbai Indians aggregated 618 runs including 5 half-centuries in 15 matches. He represented his team in the best way possible and took the team to the final as well but unfortunately, MI finished their journey as runners-up after losing against CSK in the finals. In the 3rd edition of IPL, he played in 15 matches with an average of 47.53 and a strike rate of 132.61

2011 - Chris Gayle

What is a list of top T20 scorers without Chris Gayle? It is incomplete indeed. Chris Gayle is undoubtedly one of the best players in the T20 format and one of the greatest hitters in all the formats of cricket. In the 2011 IPL, he scored a massive 608 runs in only 12 matches. One of his most distinguished factors is his strike rate. He played with a strike rate of 183.13 which is the highest of any Orange Cap winners in the tournament. Also, his total runs include 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries with an average of 67.55.

2012 - Chris Gayle

In the very next year, Chris Gayle again created several storms on the field and became the top run-scorer in the IPL 2012 season. No one could ever dare to come in the way of his extreme rise in the T20 format. In the 4th edition of IPL, the Jamaican cricketer scored a massive 733 runs including 1 century and 7 half-centuries in 15 matches. He played with an average of 61.08 and a strike rate of 160.74.

Read Also: The IPL Effect: How the Tournament Transformed the Dynamics of T20 Cricket Worldwide

2013 - Michael Hussey 

Michael Hussey, popularly known as Mr cricket has also made his name into this list with 733 runs in 17 matches. The Orange Cap winner of the 2013 IPL smashed 6 half-centuries with an average of 52.5 and a strike rate of 129.5. He made a huge contribution to CSK's entry into the finals. Unfortunately, MI won the title of the season.

2014 - Robin Uthappa

One of the impactful players of IPL 2014 was Robin Uthappa. He played a key role in taking Kolkata Knight Riders into the finals and also winning their second title. Uthappa played in 16 matches and scored 660 runs including 5 half-centuries with an average of 44 and a strike rate of 137.78.

2015 - David Warner

David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad was the Orange Cap winner of IPL 2015. The team played their debut match in 2013 and Warner made 2015 a good season for the team and the fans by scoring 562 runs in 14 matches. His total runs also include 7 half-centuries with an average of 43.23 and a strike rate of 156.54

2016 - Virat Kohli 

A list of achievements by batsmen is incomplete without the King of Cricket Virat Kohli. The captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore is the highest run-scorer in a single edition of IPL. In 2016 IPL he smashed 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries to aggregate a total of 973 runs in 16 matches. In that season, he played with an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. The 2016 IPL has been a good year for the team as they made it to the finals but unfortunately could not win the title.

2017 - David Warner

Once again David Warner had a spectacular season in the marquee T20 league and became the Orange Cap winner of IPL 2017. The captain of the defending winning team smashed 641 runs including 1 century and 4 half-centuries in 14 matches. He played with an average of 58.27 and a strike rate of 141.81.

Read Also: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Squads of Every Team

2018 - Kane Williamson

IPL 2018 changed the T20 career of the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. Before the season, he was not that appreciated as an impactful T20 player. But he utilized the opportunity and gave his best and proved his worth to everyone as a great batsman in all three formats. In 17 matches, he scored 735 runs including 8 half-centuries with an average of 52.5 and a strike rate of 142.44. The captain represented the team and took it to the final as well as won the Orange Cap.

2019 - David Warner

The only cricketer to win the Orange Cap 3 times in IPL history is none other than David Warner. He achieved this milestone in IPL 2019 by scoring 692 runs in 12 matches. He smashed 1 century and 8 half-centuries to score a total of 692 runs with an average of 69.2 and a strike rate of 143.86. His impactful performances along with his opening partner Jonny Bairstow took the team to the playoffs in IPL 2019 but unfortunately, they did not win the title.

2020 - KL Rahul

The skipper of Punjab Kings, Kl Rahul won the 2019 Orange Cap. He and his teammates were unable to end the journey on a good note but the captain made sure to glorify the team's name and became the highest run-scorer of the season. In 14 matches he scored 670 runs with an average of 55.83 and a strike rate of 129.34. His whopping 670 runs also include 1 century and 5 half-centuries.

2021 - Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings's present skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the IPL 2021 orange cao for his sensational batting. He scored 635 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.35. He was one of the few reasons CSK won their fourth IPL title in 2021. Gaikwad struck 4 half-centuries and one century that season with a best score of 101 not out. 

2022 - Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler was just unbelievable in the IPL 2022 season. Rajasthan didn't win the title but Buttler won hearts. He struck 863 runs in 17 innings at an average of 57.53 with 4 centuries and as many as half-centuries. He also became the second batter after Virat Kohli to score 4 centuries in a single IPL season. Buttler also struck a whooping 45 sixes that season, the fourth highest by a player in a season of the Indian cash-rich league.

2023 - Shubman Gill

Gujarat Titans' present captain Shubman Gill had a season to remember in IPL 2023. He broke several records and won the prestigious Orange Cap. Gill finished as the leading run-scorer, amassing 890 runs in only 17 matches. He played big knocks in pivotal moments in the tournament to guide his side to back-to-back IPL finals. However, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings clinched their fifth IPL title by defeating GT in the final. Gill’s 890 runs came at an impressive average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80 while scoring three centuries and four fifties.

2024 - Virat Kohli

The 2024 was a brilliant season for Virat Kohli with the bat and he finished at the top of the highest run-getter charts in the Indian Premier League. He couldn't take RCB to the Final but did his part with the bat. RCB qualified for the playoffs after making a stupendous comeback, winning all their last six group-stage matches and lots of credit goes to Kohli. But, they got knocked out of the tournament after losing to Rajasthan in the Eliminator. Virat scored 741 runs at a spectacular average of 61.75 and a great strike rate of 154.69 which includes five half-centuries and one century. He was by far the best batsman of the 2024 season and won his second-ever orange cap in the history of the competition.

2025 - Sai Sudharsan

Sai Sudharsan won the Orange Cap after a stellar season for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. It was the form of their top three that powered GT’s run to the playoffs this season and Sudharsan led the way in a lineup that included his captain Shubman Gill and an all-time T20 great in Jos Buttler. Sudharsan finished the season with 759 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.21 and maintained a strike rate of 156.17. He scored six half-centuries and one century.

Cricket, a sport loved by millions around the world, has witnessed the rise of several legendary players. In the modern era, four exceptional batsmen have stood out with their consistent brilliance, earning them the title of the “Fab Four players.” Their performances are often compared under the widely discussed Fab four Stats.

These iconic cricketers – Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith have set new benchmarks for batting excellence across formats. 

Virat Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier today (May 12) with a post on his official Instagram handle. He ended his 14-year illustrious career in the format.

In this article, we will take a closer look at their remarkable careers, comparing their updated statistics and achievements to understand what makes them the finest batsmen of the modern era in Test cricket. 

Also Read: Fav four in cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith overall stats

So, let's take a look at the statistics of the Fav Four in Test cricket.

Fav four in Test cricket | Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith

Test cricket, often considered the ultimate test of a player’s skill and temperament, has seen these four players shine brightly. Here’s how they stack up in the longest format.

Virat Kohli's peak in Test cricket arrived well before the likes of Joe Root and Kane Williamson. Steve Smith matched him toe to toe during that period, but the 12-month ban due to the sandpaper gate overshadowed his brilliance in the format. 

However, when we compare the numbers of Fab four in 2025, Kohli has fallen way behind his contemporaries. Root is at the peak of his powers in Test cricket in the last five years while Williamson has never really been out of form in the whites.

Smith has been on and off over the last couple of years, but his form has never been a concern for Australia in Tests. When it comes to runs, averages and centuries, Kohli ranks last among Fab four and a lot of it has to do with his downfall in the format since November 2019.

Also Read: Sachin vs Kohli: Stats Comparison in Test Cricket

Here is a comparison of Fav four in Test cricket.

Fav four in Test cricket | How Kohli finished in Tests compared to Fab four

It is certain that Virat Kohli, who was once untouchable in the debate of Fab Four, will remain at the bottom forever when compared to his contemporaries. Only if his form hadn't dropped after November 2019, the 36-year-old, today, has stepped down from the format with some unreal numbers.

If anyone has followed cricket casually over the last decade, they're likely familiar with four key names: former Indian captain Virat Kohli, batting genius Steve Smith, English great Joe Root, and New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer Kane Williamson.

They together are known as the 'Fab Four' in the modern era of cricket.

Each of them has set new benchmarks for performance, continually pushing one another to enhance their skills. These four batsmen have not only dominated the world of cricket but have also met the expectations of their respective nations.

In this article, we will examine the statistics of the Fab Four across all formats.

Fav Four in cricket: How many runs & centuries have they scored in International Cricket?

Virat Kohli has been the most prolific all-format batter among the fav-four. Kohli, till now in his 550 international games, has scored 27,599 runs with an outstanding average of 52.27. His record of 82 international centuries is only second to Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries.

Read Also | Most ICC Trophies by any men's team

Joe Root comes in second among them with 20,724 runs so far for England across formats. However, undoubtedly, he has been the best test batter of his generation with 12972 test runs, which sets him as the highest test run scorer for England. Root has also scored 53 international hundreds, of which 36 came in tests only.

Read Also | Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments (men's)

Kane Williamson, New Zealand's highest runscorer in international cricket, comes at number three in terms of international runs among the fav four. The former Kiwi leader has scored 19,086 runs so far in his career at an average of 48.56. Kane is now only two short of reaching 50 international hundreds. 

Read Also | Most Test runs in 2024: Root, Jaiswal, Duckett and more

Aussie great Steven Smith comes at four with 17,165 runs at an average of 47.81. A late bloomer with the bat, Smith has been outstanding for Australia in tests and ODIs. Along with Root, Smith has also been one of the greatest test batters of this generation.

Here is a comparison of international stats of the fav four. 

Read Also: Most Wickets in Test Cricket

Fab Four in Cricket: Stats across different formats

Virat Kohli (IND)

Joe Root (ENG)

Kane Williamson (NZ)

Steven Smith (AUS)

Note: The article was initially written by Abishek Goswami and then got updated by Koushik Biswas

ICC tournaments is what for every cricket player is waits for. However, reaching the finals as a captain of their national side is a different kind of achievement for any player around the globe.

Meanwhile, in this article Sportzpoint will give you the details of the players who played the most ICC Finals as captain of their side.

Read Also: Player of the series winners in T20 World Cup History

Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 3 ICC Finals

• ICC ODI World Cup 2019
  
• ICC World Test Championship 2021
  
• ICC T20 World Cup 2021

The former blackcaps captain Kane Williamson has played 3 ICC finals as captain. That's include, 2019 ICC ODI World Cup, 2021 WTC and 2021 T20 World Cup.

In which, Kane led his team through the finals but failed two times to lift the trophy. However, New Zealand lifted the first World Test Championship under him in 2021.

Although, Kane loses the world cup 2019 final against England on a boundary count. After the loss in 2019 NZ again loses under Kane in the T20 World Cup 2021 final against the Aussies.

Sourav Ganguly | India | 3 ICC Finals

• ICC Champions Trophy 2000
• ICC Champions Trophy 2002
• ICC ODI World Cup 2003

The former BCCI President and Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly has guided India in 3 ICC finals. In those finals India lost two of them.

Sourav Ganguly's only victory in an ICC tournament, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. However, that trophy was shared with Sri Lanka. Dada had two more hits at an ICC championship but unfortunately failed.

Ganguly had taken over the reins of the Indian Team after the infamous fixing controversy. A relatively inexperienced skipper then, Ganguly did well to help India reach the finals of the 2000 Champions Trophy.

The southpaw even hit a century in that game and had the match in control, but the Kiwis chased down India's target of 265 with two balls remaining.

Later, in South Africa, Ganguly led India to the finals of the 2003 World Cup but was blown away by a dominant performance by the Aussies.

Clive Lloyd | West Indies | 3 ICC Finals

• ICC ODI World Cup 1975
• ICC ODI World Cup 1979
• ICC ODI World Cup 1983

No true cricket fan can ever forget the name of the first-ever World Cup-winning captain Clive Lloyd.

Clive Lloyd is credited for leading West Indies to both of its ICC Cricket World Cup titles. He captained the West Indian side between 1974 to 1985 and moulded them into a dominant test-playing nation during his time.

West Indies won both the inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup in 1975 and the second Cricket World Cup in 1979 under Lloyd.

However, in 1983 ODI World Cup Clive Lloyd's team loses in the finals against India. So the carebean great played 3 ICC finals as captain for his side.

Brian Lara | West Indies | 3 ICC Finals

• ICC Champions Trophy 1998
• ICC ODI World Cup 1999
• ICC Champions Trophy 2000

Another carebean batting giant, Brian Lara comes on the list of most ICC Finals as captain.

Lara has played 3 ICC finals as captain in his career and two of them are Champions Trophy. However, another one is ICC cricket World Cup in 1999,that they lost in the finals.

After the 1979 World Cup, West Indies had not won an ICC Trophy.

A legendary batsman, the task of winning a trophy fell on Brian Lara's shoulders. The most experienced ODI captain of the West Indies, Lara won one Champions Trophy but lost two of them in the finals.

Rohit Sharma* | India | 4 ICC Finals

• ICC World Test Championship 2023
• ICC ODI World Cup 2023
• ICC T20 World Cup 2024
• ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma is now the only captain to have led his team to the finals of all International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments: ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and World Test Championship (WTC). And he has achieved that in just three years' time.

In 2023, India qualified for the WTC final and the ODI World Cup final, losing to Australia on both the occasions. The next year, in 2024, India won the T20 World Cup under Rohit by beating South Africa in the final.

It was India's first ICC title in 10 years and the second T20 World Cup triumph since 2007.

India defeated New Zealand by four wickets to lift the Champions Trophy 2025 title. After this Rohit joins MS Dhoni as the two captains to have led India to victory in the tournament. India previously won the title under MS Dhoni's captaincy in 2013.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni | India | 4 ICC Finals

• ICC T20 World Cup 2007
• ICC ODI World Cup 2011
• ICC Champions Trophy 2013
• ICC T20 World Cup 2014

The leader who changed the face of Indian Cricket holds the second position in the Most ICC Finals as captain list.

From winning a T20 and an ODI World Cup to taking India to the top of Test Cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done it all for the Indian Cricket Team. Apart from test mace, India has won three ICC trophies under his leadership.

Dhoni's journey of being a successful captain began when he led India to the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup win in 2007. However, his most significant achievement as the captain of the Indian Cricket team came in 2011.

Under his leadership, India finally ended their 28-year World Cup drought and defeated Sri Lanka to lift their second ODI World Cup. Almost every one of you might remember Dhoni's unbeaten 91 in the final, which was one of the factors that helped India win the trophy.

Finally, Dhoni also helped add ICC Champions Trophy 2013 to India's trophy cabinet. They defeated England and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final.

Ricky Ponting | Australia | 4 ICC Finals

• ICC ODI World Cup 2003
• ICC Champions Trophy 2006
  
• ICC ODI World Cup 2007
  
• ICC Champions Trophy 2009

Former Australia skipper, Ricky Ponting is one of the most successful captains in the history of International Cricket. He made sure that Australia remains the dominating force in International Cricket after the retirement of Steve Waugh. 

Ponting led Australia in 77 Tests, 230 ODIs, and 17 T20Is.
Ricky Ponting led Australia to four ICC finals in his career.

Meanwhile, he wins four of them and became the most successful captain in cricket history. A fascinating thing about these four trophy wins is that they all came during just seven years, from 2003 to 2009.

Under Ponting, Australia first retained the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003. He came out as the third-highest scorer of the tournament with three centuries and won the man of the match award in the final.