Durham Bat To Get 16 Point Penalty

 

Counties employ so many backroom "hangers-on" these days that warrant pavilions to be extended at massive expense, but they don't seem to be able to employ one them to run each bat through a bat gauge before a batsman goes out to bat. The point deduction is disproportional to the "crime" however.

Durham face points deduction – because player's bat was too big.
Tim Wigmore.
London Daily Telegraph.
Wednesday, 7 September 2022.
PTG 3990-19620.

Durham batsman Nic Maddinson had his bat removed from the field for contravening the regulations on bat sizes during the club’s County Championship match away to Derbyshire on Tuesday, leaving Durham facing a points deduction.  Maddinson, the Australian international who is playing as an overseas player for Durham, had reached one not out on the second day in Derby when umpire Hassan Adnan tested whether his bat fulfilled the regulations. 

After match referee Mike Smith held a meeting with the Durham coach James Franklin and director of cricket Marcus North, Maddinson’s bat was removed from the field. He resumed his innings with a different, smaller bat, before being dismissed for eight.  Durham now face a hefty potential points penalty of 16 points. Under the regulations for domestic competition, any contravening of the bat sizes means that a team is docked the points that are available for a win. Were Durham to be deducted points, it would effectively end their thin hopes of winning promotion back to Division One.

The bat was reexamined at the end of the day to see whether it had swelled in the damp conditions, but was again found not to adhere to the regulations and was included in the match referee's report. Confirmation of a points deduction, if one is applied, is expected shortly after the completion of the current match, which ends on Thursday.

Last month Derbyshire suffered a two-point deduction - the equivalent of the points available for a win - in the One Day Cup for a similar offence. All-rounder Mattie McKiernan was charged and accepted he had breach England and Wales Cricket Board regulations after he used a bat which failed a bat-gauge test during and after the match (PTG 3971-19504, 19 August 2022). The sanctions were upheld even though the offence was found to have been committed unintentionally, with each cricketer responsible for ensuring that the equipment being used conforms to the laws of the game