Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: England considering 60m boundaries for Ashes – reports | Reports: England mulling shorter boundaries for 2023 Ashes

Reports have surfaced online about a possible England tactic for the 2023 Ashes series, stating that the team is considering short boundaries to complement their attacking brand of play. According to The Times, England have discussed the possibility of having boundaries as short as 60 metres in the attempt to aid their ‘Bazball‘ strategy.

Whether the boundaries will indeed be 60m or not, there is little doubt that Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum will orchestrate another attacking display. Since the duo took over last year, England have scored at 4.76 per over; a stark level above Australia’s still respectable 3.56.

This includes 86 sixes, 28 more than the next highest – India with 58. Australia are further down the list with 32, but that shouldn’t be of concern according to a former Australia captain.

60m boundaries will not aid England – Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke has rubbished suggestions that these shorter boundaries will only aid England. Rather, Australia’s players can benefit as well in a tactic that could backfire for England’s bowlers.

“What a load of junk,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast on Monday.

“Australian grounds are twice the size of England grounds anyway. That’s why there’s less sixes from the Australian players. Bat at the MCG you’ve got 90m boundaries, bat in England you’ve got 60m boundaries.

“Who cares? Both teams have got to bat.”

This revelation comes soon after Ben Stokes asked for flat, fast wickets for this year’s series. Should England produce such surfaces, it will certainly be fascinating to see how Australia’s batsmen – particularly Steve Smith – fare on surfaces that could play similarly to those at home.

Speaking to foxsports.com.au, captain Pat Cummins spoke of the importance of sticking strong to their strengths and game plans, rather than worrying too much about the opposition. It was an issue at times in India, where the desire to sweep in the Delhi Test saw a huge collapse.

“Over the last 18 months, the way we’ve gone about it has been really successful, so you don’t want to lose sight of that,” Cummins said.

“I think that’s the most important — worry about what we do well, rather than looking at the opposition.”

2023 Ashes kicks off on June 16 June

The highly anticipated Ashes series will kick off on June 16, five days after Australia’s WTC Final against India is scheduled to end.

2023 Ashes schedule:

• 1st Test, Edgbaston, June 16-20.
• 2nd Test, Lord’s, June 28-July 2.
• 3rd Test, Headingley, July 6-10.
• 4th Test, Manchester, July 19-23.
• 5th Test, The Oval, July 27-31.