LONDON, March 15 - Australia captain Ricky Ponting
will use a new bat in the first test against South Africa after
manufacturer Kookaburra withdrew its controversial graphite bat.
The new "Ricky Ponting Kahuna" was developed for the start
of the test series on Thursday after officials said Kookaburra's
graphite-covered bat contravened the laws of the game.
"I've had a few net sessions with it over the last couple of
days and as I expected it feels great, so I hope it will bring
me as many runs as my previous bat," Ponting said in a
statement.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the so-called guardian of
the laws of the game, said the graphite-reinforced bat
contravened Law 6 which states a bat's blade must be entirely
made of wood and any protective covering should not damage the
ball.
Kookaburra rejects the MCC's opinion but agreed voluntarily
to withdraw the bat "until such time as this issue is resolved".
Ponting had been using the graphite-reinforced bat since
December 2004 and scored 3,645 runs with it in international
cricket, including 164 in the final one-dayer on Sunday.
The bats, also used by South Africa's AB de Villiers, are
still permitted in domestic cricket.