Phil Salt's bat used in IPL cleared by authorities after it initially failed 'gauge test' for size

LONDON: England white-ball opener Phil Salt's bat, which he used in the last two years including in the Indian Premier League, was initially deemed "to have failed an on-field gauge test" but later cleared after further examination, his club said.

The 28-year-old Salt currently plays for Lancashire.

He played a major role in Royal Challenger Bengaluru's maiden IPL title win earlier in the year, scoring 403 runs from 13 matches, the second highest for his team after Virat Kohli (657 from 15 matches).

Lancashire Cricket in a statement said that the bat used by Salt during Friday's Vitality Blast T20 match against Northants Steelbacks has been cleared by the Cricket Regulator's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).

"Salt was alleged to have breached ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3, after his bat failed an on-field bat-gauge test during the Vitality Blast fixture. It is a bat that he has used for the last two years for England, Lancashire and in the IPL with no issue," the club said in the statement.

During the first over of Lancashire Lightning's run chase, an umpire conducted an on-field bat gauge test, as part of an assurance process undertaken to check the sizes of a bat being used.

To pass the test, the bat must fit through a gauge of the specified size.

"Salt's bat did not pass through the gauge on the field and was therefore deemed to have failed the test, and in further tests carried out after the match, it was deemed inconclusive despite the bat fitting through the gauge on several occasions.

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