Short boundaries scramble India minds but will aid England's Bazballers

Times

02-07-2025

Ben Stokes' tenure as England captain has been marked by a restless search for ideas and innovation, and before play had even started at Edgbaston we had evidence of another tactical gambit: the boundary ropes had been brought in well inside the LED perimeter boards, further in than they were here for last year's Test against West Indies or the Ashes Test of 2023.
In fact, it was confirmed by match officials that the boundary on no part of the ground was longer than 71 yards (64.9 metres) from the wicket, and in the cases of the straight boundary to the pavilion and the boundary from there round to the adjacent West Stand it was between 66 and 69 yards.
These are at the short end of what is deemed acceptable under the playing regulations for the ICC World Test Championship. These state that, 'no boundary shall be longer than 90 yards [or] shorter than 65 yards from the centre of the pitch'; also that, 'the aim shall be to maximise the size of the playing area at each venue'.
The regulations also explain that: 'Before the match the umpires shall consult with the home board to determine the boundary of the field of play'. Once the game is under way, the boundary lengths must remain fixed throughout.
The clearest evidence of the boundaries being brought in was in two corners in front of the scoreboard and the Hollies Stand, where there was unused playing area beyond the rope, testing the stipulation that 'the boundary rope cannot be set at a distance of more than ten yards from the perimeter fence', not to mention the aim of maximising the playing area.
For the safety of boundary fielders there has to be at least a three-yard run-off area beyond the rope.
It can be taken as read that the umpires' consultations with the 'home board' actually means a conversation with the head groundsman, who will have taken his instructions from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Asked on the eve of the Test about how England conveyed their wishes regarding the pitch to the Edgbaston groundsman Gary Barwell, Stokes said: 'There's communication throughout … We give as much information as we can to suit what team we want to go for — and how we want to play our cricket as well.'
Why did England want short boundaries? It may be because they suspected India would select two spinners — Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar — and that this was a ploy which would help their batsmen take them on. If you are going to attack a spinner, best do so when the boundaries are short.
More likely, though, it fitted England's general approach to batting, which is to bury their opponents under sheer weight of runs scored at such a speed that it allows their bowlers time to take 20 wickets. With Stokes winning the toss and opting to bowl first for their tenth time in 11 home Tests since he became captain in 2022, England may well face another run-chase against the clock at the end of this game. They may need everything in their favour.
Since Stokes took over, England have scored at a breathtaking 4.66 runs per over in home Tests, with Trent Bridge (4.92) and Edgbaston (4.90) the venues where their muscular batting has tended to find greatest expression.
The short boundary did not really come into play until Rishabh Pant decided to target the inviting area in front of the scoreboard when facing Shoaib Bashir. He cleared the rope once for the day's first six but when he tried it again after tea he holed out to Zak Crawley at wide long-on, whose celebration suggested a plan had come to fruition. A short boundary may be easier to clear with a good contact, but it can also mess with a batsman's thinking.
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England have used these tactics before. In the 2005 Ashes, they deliberately commissioned short boundaries to increase their chances against Shane Warne. There were risks attached though, because Australia's batsmen thrived on hitting boundaries themselves and Michael Vaughan had to work hard to deny them with boundary-sweepers and short-covers.
When England plundered 407 runs on the first day of the Edgbaston Test, Australian commentators grumbled about the ground's 'ridiculously short boundaries'. During the series, Kevin Pietersen hit eight sixes off Warne, five off Brett Lee and one off Glenn McGrath into the Lord's pavilion in the opening Test to signal his intent.
There was some discussion about England using shorter boundaries to take the attack to Australia during the 2023 Ashes, but in the event they did not do so to any great degree. The outfield at Headingley was so fast for the first Test against India that England did not need any help scoring fast, but they now seem to have taken steps to give their Bazballers a further boost.