Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has hit out at claims England are planning to use short boundaries in the Ashes in a bid to help their new 'Bazball' approach thrive.
Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, England have pioneered a new positive and aggressive way of playing Test cricket. And they have enjoyed great success playing this way, winning 10 out of 12 Tests against the likes of New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan.
They have been scoring their runs at a record rate of 4.76 an over and have also smashed 86 sixes in that time, more than any other team. Now, according to a report in The Times, England have discussed shortening their boundaries ahead of the Ashes to try and maximise the effectiveness of 'Bazball'.
The report states that England believe the tactic could also 'disrupt Australia's bowling plans' as they believe that 'the smaller the playing area the greater chances of success'.
It is claimed the matter was being discussed during England's last Test series against New Zealand back in February. However Clarke, who captained Australia when they whitewashed England 5-0 in the 2013-14 Ashes, does not believe the tactic will have any effect on the outcome of the series at all.
"What a load of junk," Clarke said when asked about the report on Sky Sports radio. "Australian grounds are twice the size of England's grounds anyway. That's why there's less sixes from the Australian players.
"Bat at the MCG and you've got 90-metre boundaries, bat in England and you've got 60-metre boundaries. Who cares? Both teams have got to bat."
However, England deployed a similar tactic in their famous 2005 Ashes win, with big hitters Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff thriving as they smashed 14 and 11 sixes respectively across the five Tests. At the time, Australia legend Ian Chappell notably criticised the "ridiculously short boundaries".
It comes after Stokes revealed last month that he has already requested the ground staff prepare "flat, fast wickets" for the Ashes so England can capitalise on the extra pace of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Stokes said: "Having the option to bowl above 90mph, any captain wants that. We've been clear with the ground staff what type of wickets we want and they have been responsive. We want flat, fast wickets."
