Ranking Australian Cricket's Top 5 Sledgers of All Time

David Warner has been widely criticised for his on-field conduct recently. He was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for a verbal altercation with India’s Rohit Sharma in an ODI this week.

Australian coach Darren Lehmann defended his player’s aggressive brand of cricket, asserting that he would not try to change it.

“David’s an aggressive character and we support that,” he said, as per ESPN Cricinfo. 

Sledging has long been a shady aspect of cricket, apparently contravening the spirit of the game, but it's never been stamped out. Per Cricinfo, Lehmann claims that's because “it is an important entertainment spectacle for people around the world.”

England bowler James Anderson recently told BBC Sport that sledging is no worse than in previous years.

With that in mind, here are five ex-Aussie cricketers who have out-sledged Warner.

Honourable Mentions

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We begin with three prominent Australians who fall outside the Top Five sledgers—although “honourable” may not be the correct term in this case.

Ricky Ponting

One of many Aussie captains who utilised the tactic of aggression and intimidation in the field.

However, there are no well-documented or witty turns of phrase recorded in cricket’s annals to push Punter into the Top Five.

Craig McDermott

An atypical Australian fast bowler whose most famous sledge is a threat to hapless English tail-ender Phil Tufnell, as per the Daily Mail. Injuries restricted his bowling potential and his sledging opportunities.

Glenn McGrath

Skilful enough that he did not need express pace to take wickets or exchange a few choice words with opposing batsmen.

A crucial part of one of Australia’s greatest sides, his confidence and talent combined with aggression to make him a batsman’s nightmare. 

5. Steve Waugh

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"You’ve just dropped the World Cup."

Perhaps not a sledge as such, but these words—from Steve Waugh to Herschelle Gibbs at the 1999 World Cup, per The Guardian—were particularly devastating.

Gibbs had just dropped Waugh, and the Aussie captain’s prophecy came true as Australia later took home the World Cup.

Waugh embodied the true Australian way of playing cricket. His steely determination and unfaltering aggression oversaw a golden period of cricket for the Aussies. This period of domination was built on talent, hard work and team ethic, but also on an aggressive in-your-face style. 

Waugh told Aaj Tak's Salaam Cricket (h/t IBN Live): "I think the definition of sledging varies. It is how you are brought up in Australia, it's our nature. That is how we play our sport, we always talk." 

4. Dennis Lillee

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"Hey Gatt—move out of the way. I can’t see the stumps."

The words of Aussie fast bowler Dennis Lillee, per the Daily Mirror, to rotund English batsman Mike Gatting.

Lillee bowled extremely quickly and finished his career as the leading Test wicket-taker.

His 355 Test wickets gave him ample opportunity to sledge the man at the other end of the pitch, tasked with facing 90mph rockets—and he did, on many occasions.

The archetypal 1970s fast bowler, Lillee had the moustache, the long run up, the textbook action complete with the showmanship and of course the sledging. 

3. Shane Warne

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At No. 3 is another all-time Test great.

Shane Warne is the greatest leg-spinner of all time and one of the best bowlers of all time. He took 708 Test wickets, 37 five-wicket hauls and bowled the best ball in history. 

He was also a top-class sledger. He never backed down from a battle and locked horns with numerous batsmen, generally saving his best for the Ashes.

Fast bowlers can sledge with the added factor of fear on their side.

Warne, as a spin bowler, used good old-fashioned sledging to contribute to his aura on the field. 

2. Ian Healy

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At No. 2 is the stereotypical wicketkeeper.

Nonstop chatter and encouragement, chief motivator, centre of attention and No. 1 sledger.

Healy has a fairly modest Test record. He scored just four centuries in 182 innings. He averaged 27, but he made up for his shortcomings with the bat behind the stumps.

His recorded sledges generally focus on the typical—weight, technique and appearance of the opposition.

Per Fox Sports and The Times, respectively, Healy noticed that Arjuna Ranatunga was portly and that Nasser Hussain had a big nose.

Hardly original and certainly against the spirit of the game, but perhaps effective.

His job was to take catches and unsettle the opposition. It a role that he undoubtedly relished. 

1. Merv Hughes

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The undisputed Australian No. 1 sledger is Merv Hughes.

If you look up a list of the best sledges, nearly half of them have come from the moustachioed mouth of the Victorian.

Hughes’ sense of humour and on-pitch persona were a large part of his success as a fast bowler. He was extremely aggressive, making use of a fearsome stare to unnerve batsmen, as well as regular chat, threats and jokes.

His sledges range from the crude to the genuinely witty—from blunt swearing to advising Robin Smith to read the back of his bat for instructions on how to hit the ball, per the Daily Mail.

Hughes stands on top of the Australian pedestal of sledging.

David Warner and the current Australian side would do well to look back and see that sledging is not pure aggression. Humour is an important part that has seemingly gone missing.