Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) has confirmed that England batter Phil Salt has been cleared of any breach of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code after questions were raised about the size of his bat during a Vitality Blast match.
The issue arose last Friday during Lancashire Lightning’s game against Northamptonshire Steelbacks, when Salt’s bat failed an on-field gauge test conducted by the umpires in the first over of the run chase. Under ECB regulations, the bat must be able to pass cleanly through a measuring gauge of specified dimensions.
Salt insisted the bat, which he has used for England, Lancashire, and in the IPL over the past two years, had never been flagged before. After the match, further testing produced inconclusive results, even though the bat passed through the gauge on several occasions. Despite this, officials decided to remove the bat for additional investigation.
On Tuesday, the Cricket Regulator’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) completed its formal testing and found the bat to be fully compliant with regulations. As a result, no further action will be taken.
Lancashire expressed frustration over the handling of the matter, stating that better equipment, training, and communication could have avoided confusion and unnecessary speculation.
“Inappropriate comments from commentators, inaccurate media articles, and unsavoury social media posts towards the player could have been avoided,” the club said in a statement.
Also Read : McCullum Turns Focus to Lord’s and Bumrah After Heavy Edgbaston Defeat
