MCC now moves against cricket bats featuring carbon handles
7 May 2008, 1358 Hrs

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Melbourne, May 7 (ANI): The Marylebone Cricket Club banned Australian captain Ricky Ponting's graphite-enhanced bat two years ago, and now it has decided to outlaw the popular Gray-Nicolls Fusion model, which features a carbon handle.

John Stephenson of the MCC will present a paper to the laws committee today which for the first time will set out under Law 6 exactly what can and can't be used in a bat handle.

The law will state the handle must feature 90 per cent cane, rubber and glue.

However, according to The Australian, Gray-Nicolls has already gone one step ahead and developed a bat that replaces the rubber with 10 per cent carbon.

The company said yesterday it believed the handle for the Fusion II was within the proposed new law.

Purists have complained for years that the strength of modern bats has given batsmen an unfair advantage over bowlers, but according to Gray-Nicolls, the Fusion series is the most popular bat it has produced.

Gray-Nicolls marketing manager Cameron Black said yesterday it was aware of the rule change and had told its sponsored players.

The Fusion bat will be totally banned from Test and first-class cricket by the end of the year, but can be used at lower levels.

Stephenson said the lawmakers were keen to protect the integrity of contest between bat and ball. (ANI)