Top Players Say Decision to Ban Bat is Just Not Cricket

To the uninitiated it may seem an arcane row about sporting minutiae - whether or not a bat with a carbon-fiber covering of less than 1.56mm thickness on its back complies with the rules of cricket. But to the Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, and four of his fellow internationals, the decision of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to outlaw the bat is just not cricket.

The custodians of the game’s laws, based at English cricket’s Lord’s headquarters, are now at loggerheads with some of the world’s leading players, other administrators and the bat’s manufacturers, Kookaburra. The saga, which has come to a head after two years of wrangling among the cricket authorities - and research by technology experts into what actually constitutes a wooden bat - has left thousands of players unsure whether it is legal to use their £260 bats in competitive matches. Replacement bats are being flown to top players in Australia and some of the England A squad touring the West Indies.

Law six states that the bat shall be made solely of wood, but the blade may be covered with material for strengthening as long as it is not thicker than 1.56mm. Technical reports commissioned from the SATRA Technology Centre in Northamptonshire and RMIT University in Victoria, Australia, concluded the bats complied. But last week the MCC ruled that Kookaburra’s bats The Beast and the Ricky Ponting Kahuna contravened the law. "It is frustrating," said Kenton Elliot, managing director of Kookaburra’s UK operation. "We have a reputation for trying to innovate - the graphite was simply an attempt to strengthen the bat to stop it splitting. Sixty per cent of bats on the market have a covering that is similar."

He said the bat had been used by Ponting in 53 one-day internationals and Tests, and there were no complaints from England during last summer’s Ashes when four Australians walked past MCC members carrying the controversial bat.

While Kookaburra has withdrawn the bats from international cricket, Mr. Elliot stresses up to 10,000 players using them in recreational cricket can carry on doing so. Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board have also said they can be used in domestic cricket.

Tim May, who runs the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, said it was embarrassing for the game’s governors. "Most people would have thought that, given the length of time that international players have been using the bat in Tests, the bat was legal."

Law six

1. Width and length

The bat overall shall not be more than 38in/96.5cm in length. The blade of the bat shall be made solely of wood and shall not exceed 4 ¼ in/10.8cm at the widest part.

2. Covering the blade

The blade may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair. Such material shall not exceed 1/16in/1.56mm in thickness, and shall not be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball.