Aussie star Nic Maddinson has his bat confiscated for being too big

Aussie star Nic Maddinson has his bat confiscated for being too big during County Championship match… with Durham now facing a points penalty for the breach

  • Umpire Hassan Adnan halted play during the match at Derby on Tuesday
  • Nic Maddinson’s bat would not pass through a bat gauge in an on-field test
  • He had to continue with another bat and was out shortly afterwards for eight 
  • His ‘over-sized’ bat is set to undergo a second gauge test on Tuesday night 

Australian Nic Maddinson’s latest innings for Durham was stopped on Tuesday when his bat was confiscated for being too big.

Maddinson had scored a single run on the second day of the away County Championship match versus Derbyshire when umpire Hassan Adnan halted play, concerned the bat’s measurements exceeded cricket’s regulations.

Adnan’s suspicions proved well founded when the offending article would not pass through a bat gauge in an on-field test and the 30-year-old was forced to continue with another bat.

Nic Maddinson, pictured batting at Edgbaston last month, has endured a torrid summer as one of Durham’s overseas players

The left-hander was dropped soon afterwards but could not take advantage of his life, falling for just eight – the nine-cap Australian international is yet to make 50 in 13 visits to the crease during a torrid summer as one of Durham’s overseas players.

Worse could follow. Maddinson’s ‘over-sized’ bat was set to undergo a second gauge test on Tuesday night. Further failure would result in the incident being included in match referee Mike Smith’s report and a potential charge for a breach of equipment regulations.

Such a course of action would leave Durham facing a Cricket Discipline Commission ruling and a points penalty.

It was also at Derby last month that the home side’s Mattie McKiernan was found to be using a bat contravening the MCC’s laws during a one-day defeat to Hampshire.

While the CDC’s Ricky Needham decided that the offence was committed unintentionally, Derbyshire were docked two points (the equivalent of a win in the Royal London Cup) on a strict liability basis, as ECB directives state it is entirely the responsibility of an individual to ensure that their equipment falls within the guidelines.

A bat must not be longer than 96.52cm from the handle down and its dimensions should not exceed 10.8cm for width, 6.7cm for depth and 4cm for its edges. If it does, it will not fit pass through the metal gauge carried by officials.

Bats are checked twice in such circumstances as wood can swell in damp conditions and the second test allows time for it to dry out.




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