Essex Penalized 12 Points for 'Wide Bat' Misuse.

Posted 2 months ago

Essex have been penalized 12 points by the Cricket Discipline Commission after one of their players used an oversized bat, severely damaging their chances of winning the County Championship.

Feroze Khushi's bat failed an on-field size check during his second innings in Essex's April match against Nottinghamshire, which Essex won by 254 runs.

While Essex gained 20 points from that victory, they have now lost 12 points due to Khushi's bat being wider than allowed.

This deduction leaves Essex 56 points behind Division One leaders Surrey, with only two matches remaining after the current round.

The independent panel also imposed a penalty that will deduct half of the available match points if any player commits the same offence within the next two years.

Essex had appealed the original charge, expressing concerns about the accuracy of bat gauges, but their appeal was denied.

The club also contacted Khushi's bat manufacturer, Gray-Nicolls, who shared concerns about inconsistent measurements across different bat gauges.