Phil Salt, the forensically pickled Lancashire opener, was subject to particular inspection. Last week, allegations arose that he violated England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Directives in a recent Vitality Blast game. The uproar began back when Salt’s bat failed an on-field gauge test. This posed fundamental questions as to whether it was in accordance with the regulations published by the ECB.
In Friday’s match, officials made an unsuccessful gauge test on Salt’s bat. Specific to the game, from the last two years, Salt has preferred this bat for his matches with England and with Lancashire. The other time he employed it was during his stint in the Indian Premier League. Notwithstanding this incident, Lancashire Cricket Club and Salt have both fully engaged with the investigation that is still ongoing into this incident.
The ECB has accused Salt of failing to comply with Directives 3.2 and 3.3 relating to the rules regarding equipment. In response to the allegations, Lancashire provided the following statement. At the same time, they recognized the collaboration provided by both the organization and the player during this process. In doing so, the club emphasized the need for clearly defined bat gauge testing protocols. They wanted to settle the matter without any further fuss.
“We are working with all parties involved to ensure they are clear on the correct process for bat gauge testing.” – ECB spokesperson
Lancashire is convinced that better processes might have been able to prevent the issue from having to blow up into such a huge crisis. The club even admitted that improved equipment and more training could have prevented the accident. In their statement, they noted, “At Lancashire, we believe this whole process could have been avoided with improved processes on and off the field, whether that be through better equipment and/or additional training.”
The club was incensed that such a decision would be taken to remove the bat for additional lab testing. They thought the bat was well-behaved from the beginning. They stated, “The club and player felt this should have been the end of the matter, but the officials felt it necessary for the bat to be taken away for further testing.”
The Cricket Regulator determined that all match officials acted within their duties during the on-field incident. They made sure they followed every letter of every rule on the books. They welcomed the collaboration on display from Lancashire and Salt in addressing this problem.
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