Australian spin king Nathan Lyon dismissed concerns Monday that England could use short boundaries for the upcoming Ashes to supercharge their attacking "Bazball" strategy, saying it worked both ways.
The Times in London reported this month that the hosts had discussed bringing in the boundary ropes to the minimum 59 metres permitted by the International Cricket Council.
That would help England's explosive top-order batsmen punish Australia's bowling attack, spearheaded by Lyon, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
But 119-Test veteran Lyon pointed out that Australia's batsmen would also profit.
"Travis Head's pretty excited about the 59-metre boundaries as well," Lyon told cricket.com.au.
Off-spinner Lyon, who has taken 482 Test wickets -- 101 of them against old foes England -- is relishing facing the fearless approach of captain Ben Stokes and the rest of England's batsmen.
"I've planned for that and I'm excited by that challenge," Lyon said.
"I want to challenge myself against the best players, and this brand of cricket they're playing is certainly bringing the crowds back.
"I've been hit for six... it must be getting close to 300 (times) now for me.
"I'm not worried by it at all, I'm not scared by it. It provides a chance (of taking wickets) in my eyes."
Since New Zealand's Brendon McCullum took over as coach and Stokes as skipper, England have turbo-charged the way they play.
They have adopted an aggressive strategy to apply pressure and keep crowds entertained.
England head into the five-Test series, starting on June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, having lost the 2021-22 Ashes in Australia 4-0.
Star England seamer Stuart Broad ruffled feathers last month when he claimed the result didn't count in his mind because strict Covid rules made it impossible for the team to function normally during the tour.
But Lyon countered: "One hundred percent I'm counting that, that was a 4-0 victory to Australia."
Australian Test summer to start later than usual
Perth Stadium will host Australia's first Test of the 2023-24 summer in mid-December against Pakistan in one of the latest starts to their home season in decades, the schedule unveiled Monday showed.
Pat Cummins' team will play Babar Azam's side in three Tests starting in Western Australia on December 14, followed by the traditional Boxing Day clash in Melbourne and then Sydney to kick off a new cycle of the World Test Championship.
They then meet the West Indies -- for the second time in as many summers -- in Adelaide from January 17 before Brisbane's Gabba hosts the Caribbean side in the only day-night Test from January 25.
Brisbane and Adelaide usually host Tests in November-December.
According to Cricket Australia, it will be the latest start to a men's Test summer of five or more matches since the Ashes that began at the Sydney Cricket Ground on December 19, 1924.
The new-look schedule is down to Australia remaining in India for a bilateral white-ball series after the one-day World Cup in October-November.
Following the Tests, they will meet the West Indies in three one-dayers and three T20s throughout February, with Canberra and Hobart among the venues.
"Cricket provides the sights and sounds of the summer and brings Australians together like no other sport and we can’t wait to welcome fans to watch world class cricket next season," Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley said.
Australia's world champion women's team, led by Meg Lanning, will bookend the international season, starting with a T20 and ODI series against the West Indies in October.
This will be followed by a multi-format series against South Africa, including their first-ever Test from February 15-18 at the WACA Ground in Perth.