Joe Root calls 'rival' Steve Smith "awful and horrible to watch with the bat"

England’s Test skipper Joe Root is currently among the best-ranked Test batsmen in world cricket. Quite recently, he praised his Ashes nemesis Steve Smith and also spoke about Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson in high regard. Interestingly, while interacting in The Analyst's Virtual Cricket Club, Joe Root also handed Steve Smith a backhanded compliment as the Australian batsman approaches a high-profile Test series against India later this year.

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Joe Root talks about comparisons with Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson

Joe Root is often considered by fans and experts as one of the batsmen who constitutes the ‘Fab Four’ of modern-day cricket. The other batsmen in the elite pack are Steve Smith, Indian skipper Virat Kohli and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. During the interaction, Joe Root said that he is not sure if he would put himself in the same bracket as them and admitted that he can learn a lot from the three prolific run-scorers.

Joe Root described the three batsmen as “three of the greatest players the game has seen”. He added that he does not want to measure himself against them and instead would want to watch a lot of “how they construct their innings” across all three formats of the game. Speaking further about the elite batting trio, Joe Root said that they are “brilliant people to watch play and learn from”.

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The England Test captain then discussed the batting aspects of Steve Smith. He said that Smith is someone who is “horrible on the eye” and just “awful to watch”. However, Joe Root stated that he would love to have the Australian in his team because he is a “fantastic run-scorer”. According to Root, Steve Smith makes bowlers bowl where he wants them to and is someone who is always finding ways to get on top of the opposition bowlers.

Speaking about Virat Kohli, Joe Root said that the Indian captain is the “most complete batsman” of the three due to his consistent run-scoring abilities in Tests, ODIs as well as T20Is. The Englishman said Kohli has a “very good all-round game” and has managed to put in “massive performances” in all playing conditions.

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Babar Azam in international cricket

Apart from Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, maverick Pakistan batsman Babar Azam is another batting phenomenon who has made headlines with his run-scoring marvels. Many fans and cricket experts have often held Azam in the same elite batting stead, with many comparing the youngster to Virat Kohli. Moreover, Pakistan’s limited-overs captain is also the only cricketer in the world to feature in the top five ICC rankings for batsmen across formats.

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Image source: Cricket Australia Twitter and AP