Explaining the decision, editor-in-chief Phil Walker elaborated how “Test cricket’s ceaseless arm wrestle appears to be tilting the way of the outsider." He adds how “bowlers are on the march” in a “batter’s game”.

Walker observed that twelve batters averaged more than 50 between the start of 2011 and the end of 2017, a count that shrinks to one between the start of 2018 and now. “Test batting averages are on the wane,” he observed, while making a note of the “clusters of weirdly unpredictable Test matches” and the “basically obsolete” draws. At the point of writing, there had been only one draw in 2024.

In 2014, Martin Crowe had predicted Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, and Joe Root as the “nascent ‘Fab Four’ of Test-match batting." Crowe’s predictions were on point: the quartet went on to define batting in the 2010s.

To kick off the batting special episode, WCM offered four names “to offer a counter-insurgency”. These are cricketers they believe “can one day step up to the pedestal built by the Crowe."

“Whether our selections get anywhere close to his, only time will tell,” wrote Walker. “We were drawn to them not just for their limitless potential and timeless class, but for what they represent. Four names, different nationalities, contrasting styles, yet simpatico. Because batters today, the serious ones at least, want the lot ... Already, these players have left a significant mark on the international scene. But something else binds them: they’re all playing the long game.”

You can buy the magazine here.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.