Shane Warne picks top five current best Test batters
Shane Warne (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has named his top five current best Test batters. The 51-year-old has included the ‘Fab four’- Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Virat Kohli as his top four picks respectively. For the number five position, Warne picked Marnus Labuschagne.
These five players are currently dominating in Test cricket and are rated highly among peers and competitors. Smith has been in terrific form in Test cricket for the past four years. His sheer consistency in scoring runs in any conditions makes him stand out from the rest. Warne picked the right-hand batter as his number one choice because of his potential to play and perform in all conditions and against any kind of attack.
“I’ve got Steve Smith. I just think overall conditions against all bowling attacks for a long period of time Steve Smith has been outstanding,” said Warne in a video clip shared by Fox Cricket on their official Instagram handle.
Second on Warne’s list comes England captain Joe Root. The elegant right-hand batter has been in prolific form in Tests this year. He has scored over 1500 runs in 2021, scoring a staggering six centuries. Root has also converted his fifties into big hundreds, a thing which was missing from his game in the past few years.
Next on the expert’s list is Williamson and Kohli. Both the players have been phenomenal for New Zealand and India respectively. Batting at the crucial number four position, the duo has been pivotal in securing victories for their teams. “Joe Root is at number two, he’s made six hundreds this calendar year. Kane Williamson is always there. Virat Kohli just dropped off a little bit. But then Marnus rounds up the top five for me,” added Warne.
At number five Warne has picked Labuschagne due to his good start at the Test level. The right-hand batter is currently ranked number four and has scored 1959 Test runs.
