Essex slams ECB over 'stupid' 12-point penalty for bat size breach

Essex County Cricket Club has fiercely criticized English cricket authorities after being docked 12 points for using a bat deemed too wide during a County Championship match. The penalty has severely damaged Essex's already slim hopes of winning the First Division title.

The incident occurred during an April match against Nottinghamshire when batsman Feroze Khushi's bat was found to exceed the permitted dimensions. Khushi, who scored 21 runs in the second innings, unknowingly breached the regulations, which were flagged by match umpires.

The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), an independent body of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), issued the penalty. Essex, now trailing leaders Surrey by 54 points, lashed out at the decision, with club president and former England captain Keith Fletcher branding it "absolutely stupid."

"Feroze does not believe he did anything wrong and the whole side has been penalised, not just the one player," Fletcher said.

"As a batsman I know that a few millimetres either way is not going to have any effect on performance. Umpires test bats at random and I think the ECB have been absolutely stupid," he added.

This is not the first time bat size infractions have led to sanctions. In 2022, Durham and Derbyshire also faced point deductions for similar offenses.