English County club Durham are facing a potential points deduction after Australian batsman Nic Maddinson was found to have an illegally-sized bat in his side's clash with Derbyshire.
Maddinson came to crease for Durham at 2-93 after Derbyshire were all out for 306 from 95.2 overs, with umpire Hassan Adnan taking a close inspection of the New South Welshman's bat during the innings.
Using the competition's required bat gauge to assess the dimensions of Maddinson's willow, Adnan proved the bat was unable to meet the County Championships' requirements given it was too big.
The bat was further examined at day's end, again failing to fit through the umpire's gaude.
According to The Times, Durham could now face a points deduction amid their scarp for promotion, currently placed sixth in the league's standings with one win from 11 matches - five of which have resulted in draws.
The northeast-based club could see their tally of 128 points reduced due to Maddinson's bat, with the ECB set to take over the investigation and decide a punishment for Durham.
Failing to meet the ECB's playing regulations for a wrong bat could see Maddinson's side hit with a points deduction equal to the number of points gained for victory.
The issue is one familiar to their foe in Derbyshire, who were docked two points in their Royal London One Day Cup last month after the bat of player Mattie McKiernan failed to meet regulations.
At the end of day two, Derbyshire hold an 84-run lead over Durham, who are placed at 9-222 in their opening innings.
Maddinson amassed a score of eight runs from 30 deliveries, with tail-end duo Oliver Gibson and Chris Rushworth currently at the crease.
