Former leg-spinner Shane Warne has implored Australia to fire batting coach Graeme Hick.

Australia had lost 18 of their last 24 matches prior to Wednesday’s victory in the opening T20I against India in Brisbane.

‘It’s time for a change,’ the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Warne as saying.

‘The one thing I would say is Australian cricket, over the last 25 to 30 years, has had some terrific batsmen.

‘Graeme has been there for the last few years and seen that the players are making the same mistakes all the time. It’s time for a change.’

He suggested an ex-Australian batsman replace England’s Hick.

‘Whether it be Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey – I’m sure any of those guys could do it,’ added Warne.

‘We’ve had great cricketers for the past 25 years and they should be around the cricket team more often.’

Australia, meanwhile, have upheld the bans imposed on batsman Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for their involvement in the ball-tampering saga that rocked the tour of South Africa earlier this year.

‘I think once the bans were in place, even though I thought they were too harsh at the time, you can’t overrule them,’ concluded Warne.

‘You can’t overturn them because Australia’s cricketers are playing so badly.’