Essex’s chances of winning the Vitality County Championship have been dashed due to a 12-point deduction after one of their players used an oversized bat.
Feroze Khushi, Essex’s opener, failed a bat gauge test during the Division One match against Nottinghamshire in April, resulting in Essex losing 12 points from their 20-point victory.
Khushi, who scored 18 and 32 in the match, was found to have used a bat wider than the permissible 10.8cm at Trent Bridge, leading to the penalty imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).
With this deduction, Essex now trails Surrey by 56 points with only two games remaining in the County Championship.
Essex president Keith Fletcher expressed his disbelief in the decision, stating that a slight difference in bat width would not impact performance significantly.
Despite Essex’s appeal and concerns about the compliance of bat gauges, the CDC upheld the penalty.
“Essex CCC regrets the outcome and, although disappointed with the appeal decision and subsequent sanctions, accepts the charges of the CDC panel,” a statement from the club read.
“In light of the concerns raised during the appeal, the club will be writing to the CDC, Cricket Regulator and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to formally highlight the matters which arose during the process, such as those raised by the club in relation to the bat gauges.
“Essex CCC hopes that these concerns will prompt action to address inconsistencies and enhance the fairness and transparency of future regulatory processes.”
In a similar incident, Durham also lost 10 points in 2022 for a bat-related violation, while Derbyshire received a two-point deduction in the One-Day Cup in the same season.
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