When discussing ferocious rivalries and mental gymnastics, it can be difficult for a cricket fan to avoid thinking of The Ashes. The scheming and mind games have begun even though the highly anticipated Test series between England and Australia in an effort to fiercely compete for the "Urn" is only two months away in 2023.

According to various reports, England, the current hosts, is considering playing with shorter boundaries to support their 'Bazball' style of cricket in the next series against Australia. Notably, the Three Lions have won ten of the 12 Tests they have played since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach of England's Test team last year.

While Australia has kept the scoreboard ticking with 3.56 runs per over, the hosts for the Ashes have averaged 4.76 runs per over since May 2022, if we compare the overall run rate difference between the two fierce rivals. Therefore, in the five-match Test series, the hosts are eager to use the short boundary plot to go all out against the elite Australian bowling lineup.

Oddly enough, Edgbaston, the site of the first Test, has a boundary that is slightly shorter than 60 metres while the great Melbourne Cricket Ground has a perimeter that is roughly 84 metres long. The boundaries must be at least 59 metres from the centre of the playing strip, as required by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the boundary ropes must provide enough room for the fielders to run across the field safely, which should be between three and ten yards.

Therefore, similar to a short-boundary ruse, Michael Clarke, a former Australian captain, thinks that this strategy will not benefit England in any way. The main justification for this is that both teams must bat at the same location, where it won't really matter because Australian batters are accustomed to playing on considerably broader boundaries than English batters.

Clarke considers this concept to be complete nonsense as a result. What a bunch of garbage. The size of Australian stadiums is already twice that of English stadiums. That explains why Australian players are hitting fewer sixes. "If you bat at the MCG, your boundaries are 90 metres, but if you bat in England, your boundaries are 60 metres," Clarke stated on Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast.