Legend's get-square for controversial Aussie tactic

Switch-hitting shouldn't be banned from cricket, Australian great Ian Healy said, instead suggesting that bowlers needed to improve and be afforded more leniency.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell told Wide World of Sports that while switch-hitting was incredibly skillful, it was also inherently unfair for a batsman to change grip or stance during the bowler's delivery.

Chappell said that banning the practice, employed by Australian stars Glenn Maxwell and David Warner, was the ICC's clearest solution.

Healy disagreed, saying that switch-hitting should remain; at least in the form employed by Maxwell and Warner in the ongoing ODI series against India, where they have flipped their stance but not their batting grip.

Healy said that bowlers needed to get better at quick adaptations to their deliveries. Bowlers could also being given more leeway from umpires in the case of a switching batsman, perhaps doing away with automatic wide calls for leg-side deliveries.

"Switching hands is a bit interesting, you're turning yourself into a different batsman, but switching your body position, go for it," Healy told SEN radio.

"I think our bowlers have got to be a little bit better. They've got to be really aware and last-minute changes for the bowlers aren't that great at the moment. They'll get better at that.

"But it is tricky, it's very tricky, and the bowlers can't run to the other side of the wicket and deliver the ball; that's what Chappelli's saying. You've got to tell the umpire, who tells the batsman, which side of the wicket you're gonna bowl on, but the batsman can do what he likes up there; another advantage to the batsman but gee, you have to be good."

It was put to Healy that trick shots were all the rage with young cricketers and an important part of the modern game's popularity.

"I agree with that," Healy said. "Let the batters do it.

"Not many of them are doing it extremely well but the one's that do are incredible entertainers.

"The bowlers just might have to get better. They'll have to spear something wide of the right side [of the stumps]; I think we can have a little bit more leniency down the leg-side.

"They're really channelled, the bowlers are channelled into a corridor they have to put the ball [within]. Maybe we could widen that out, so if they swap sides where they're going to hit because the field is up on one side of the ground, the bowler might need a little bit more leniency when they make a last-minute decision."