Shane Warne has named Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke among a quartet of former batting stars he believes should be considered as possible replacements for under-fire Australia batting coach Graeme Hick.
Warne had previously voiced his criticism of the former England batsman, but has now called for Cricket Australia to replace the Zimbabwean-born former England international.
Australia have lost 18 of their previous 24 encounters across all formats, and the former spin legend believes “it’s time for a change”, insisting his nation have many past heroes who could step into Hick’s shoes to boost the batting department.
On Tuesday, Cricket Australia confirmed they would not reduce any suspensions, which means Smith and Warner can only play grade cricket for the duration of Australia’s home summer.
”I think once the bans were in place, even though I thought they were too harsh at the time, you can’t overrule them,” Warne added. “I was disappointed Greg Dyer and the Players’ Association even did that. You can’t overturn them because Australia’s cricketers are playing so badly.”
