Cricket needs to root out corkers

Ever since the 17th century, when the first bats were little more than clubs, manufacturers have dabbled with the design of the basic cricket bat in the name of progress, give or take the odd marketing stunt.

There have been bats with curved handles, bats with no handles, shoulderless models, reversible doublefaced bats and bats with convex faces.

Aluminium bats, at least, are one danger that will not return. Nonwooden bats were outlawed the year after Lillee perturbed the world of willow with a bat that could have been made from recycled cans.

Ponting's controversial Kookaburra bat, with its black graphite film on the back, has grabbed headlines not only because the phoney war ahead of the Ashes is already in full swing but, crucially, because the game's lawmakers believe may be illegal.

The laws of cricket state the blade shall be made of wood, its dimensions not more than 38 inches (96.5cm) long or four and a quarter inches (10.8cm) wide. Under those laws any covering, which may be used to "protect, strengthen and repair" the bat, must not exceed one 16th of an inch in thickness or unduly abrade the ball.

The MCC will reveal in their report, which will be discussed as part of an overall review of bats at an ICC meeting in Dubai on 17 May, whether they feel the laws have been breached by Ponting's bat. Until then, he will be allowed to carry on using it.

Ponting himself has laughed at objections to the model he uses, called the Kahuna, with which he has scored so heavily recently.

The Australia captain stressed the decorative logo on the back of the bat had been changed to appeal to youngsters and protect against wear and tear. "I've been using that Kahuna bat for the last five or six years, it's just the sticker that's changed this year," he said.

The more important subtext to the Ponting row is the practice of corking which, evidence suggests, is becoming increasingly prevalent in world cricket.

American sport was rocked to its foundations two years ago when one of Major League Baseball's iconic homerun hitters, Sammy Sosa, was caught using a corked bat.

Corking - drilling a hole in the barrel of the bat and inserting a substance more associated with a good bottle of Chardonnay - makes for a lighter piece of equipment, a quicker swing and, therefore, more clout. It is also cheating.

The ICC have looked closely at the Sosa saga and are determined to protect the integrity of cricket at all costs. Chief executive Malcolm Speed said: "We are getting reports of bats being corked and will be investigating further. We are growing increasingly concerned with issues surrounding the way in which bats are manufactured and enhanced."

It is not believed that any England players are implicated. Middlesex's Ed Smith, who played three Tests for England in 2003 and wrote a book comparing baseball to cricket, says he has never heard of corking.

"I have never come across it in any way. To be honest it's not something I've ever given a moment's thought to," said Smith.

There is a fear among English bat makers that if Ponting's bat is not banned there would be a compositional free-for-all and overseas manufacturers, using non-wood components, would swamp the market with cheaper products.

Joe Sillett, managing director of bat company Woodworm, whose clients include Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, said: "Bat making is a traditional and highly skilled craft. Our worry is that in five or six years time, we would have six or seven factories opening in China within a few hundred yards of each other selling 50 per cent of the bats in the UK."

There would also be the unedifying prospect of contests being loaded unfairly in favour of the batsman and of big boundaries being a cheaper thrill than at any time in the game's history.