AN Australian coach with years of experience working with the world’s best batsmen says most sledging in the modern game not only doesn’t work, but is hampering the growth of the current national team.

The Aussie side has come under fire for its sledging tactics on the current tour of South Africa, especially in the wake of a particularly fiery encounter at Port Elizabeth on the weekend.

Despite being on the verge of a fourth-straight defeat the Australians went out of their way to verbally engage the Proteas, a tactic that was deemed “embarrassing” and “totally ineffective” by former Test batsman Kepler Wessels. He described the sledging as “mindless babble”.

Recently-retired bowler Ryan Harris, who is with the Australian squad as a bowling coach, defended his players’ actions and said they were well within their rights to stand up for themselves given the verbals they copped from the South Africans, and fiery spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in particular.

However not everyone in Australia shares Harris’s view.

Trent Woodhill has worked as a batting coach for the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Kevin Pietersen, and believes far too much emphasis is placed on verbal intimidation in Australia.

“We need to get away from this mentality of ‘we’ve all played the game, you’ve got to be tougher, you’ve got to be harder, you’ve got be noisier, you’ve got to be louder’, because it’s basically bulls---,” Woodhill told foxsports.com.au.

“Unless you’ve got Mitch Starc bowling 150km/h thunderbolts, which is what other players are wary of, then no one’s interested in a sledge or a phrase that might look to unsettle (the batsman), especially away from home when other teams are comfortable.”

Woodhill: Unless you’ve got Mitch Starc bowling 150km/h thunderbolts no one’s interested in a sledge. Source: AFP

It’s this latter point that Woodhill, who made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League and also works as batting coach with Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, is keen to drive home.

Several of Australia’s results overseas in recent times don’t make for great reading, most notably a 3-0 Test series defeat in Sri Lanka and last year’s Ashes loss in England.

With a tour of India coming up early next year, Woodhill fears the Aussies could be set for a similar experience to their 2013 tour – when they were whitewashed 4-0 – if there is no change in mindset.

“There’s too much talk away from home from the Australians,” Woodhill said.

“What are they going to do when they go to India, because they’re going to come up against the best player in the world in Virat Kohli who can handle pressure and handle chat better than anyone.

“He just responds, he responds to any bulls--- and does well.

“Australia’s got to come up with a different way of doing it and they won’t do that if they’re continually handing ex-players (coaching) roles when they don’t earn it. That prevents growth and innovation.”

Woodhill: Sledging Virat Kohli next year will backfire for Australia. Source: AFP

Woodhill is well aware his opinion will not sit well with everybody in the Australian cricket fraternity. Having never played higher than Sydney grade cricket or league cricket in England he also knows his opinion may be brushed aside because he never played the game at the highest level.

But he doesn’t lack experience. Alongside coaching the likes of Kohli, de Villiers and Chris Gayle for IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore, he’s also been a personal mentor to Steve Smith and David Warner and spent two years as New Zealand’s assistant coach between 2010 and 2012. He’s living proof of his own belief that you don’t need to be a great player to be a great coach.

“Just because someone batted well for Australia doesn’t mean they’re going to be a good batting coach, unless they find a way of their own job and their space and their own excellence.

“That’s where innovation and growth starts, it’s through conversation and learning in a calm environment, not through ‘come on mate, you’ve got to do it in a hostile environment’.”

Woodhill isn’t calling for Smith’s men to be less intimidating on the field. He just wants them to find a different way of doing it away from home. And they need not look further than Matthew Hayden, who found a way to make his sizeable presence felt in India in 2001, topping the run-scoring charts (549 at 109.80) in a series some call the most enthralling in Test history.

“We all know the Matthew Hayden story about sweeping, and how he taught himself to sweep, because he needed to innovate, because the way he was successful in Australia was not going to continue in India. Him playing at the Gabba against opposition teams was full on.

“He found a way of finding a different way of doing it which wasn’t built around aggressive words or aggressive body language.”

Matthew Hayden topped the run-scoring charts in India in 2001. Source: News Limited

Essentially, it’s all about the end product and if you’re focus heading into a match is on how you’re going to get into the opposition’s head you’re in for a bad time.

“I think everyone just rolls their eyes now (at sledging). I’m so bored with it, I’m bored with the way that teams like that play. I’m just not interested. That’s why I love franchise cricket now because it’s all about the result.

“Surely in this day and age what someone has to say on a cricket field is completely and utterly irrelevant.”

However Woodhill is realistic about how his advice will be taken by many in the cricket community.

“That’ll be shouted down with I never played, so what would I know.”