Kookaburra to withdraw graphite bat

Manufacturer Kookaburra will withdraw the graphite bat used by Ricky Ponting from all first-class cricket by October.

Manufacturer Kookaburra will withdraw the graphite bat used by Australia captain Ricky Ponting from all first-class cricket by October.

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The International Cricket Council announced the move on Thursday, saying the company had also decided to end the production and distribution of graphite-reinforced bats.

Kookaburra's decision to withdraw the bat from all first-class competitions — including limited overs matches — comes two months after the bat was removed from international cricket.

The earlier decision came after the Marylebone Cricket Club, the guardian of the sport's laws, advised the ICC that the bat — the blade of which is strengthened by a thin carbon fiber backing strip — is illegal under cricket rules.

The bat, launched in December 2004, had also been used by Australia's Mike Hussey and Brett Lee and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya.