There is nothing wrong with Sourav Ganguly's bat, and the extra width detected by an International Cricket Council match referee is due to tape stuck over it, a Meerut-based sports goods manufacturer claimed on Thursday.
Meerut Sareen Sports, the manufacturer of Ganguly's bats, jumped to the defence of the Indian skipper, saying the bats "are in accordance with the ICC specifications (4.25 inches)".
"All the bats being used in the World Cup by Indian cricketers -- Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag -- are in accordance with the ICC specifications," Jatin Sareen, the company's managing director told PTI.
Sareen issued the clarification after having a telephonic conversation with the Indian skipper on Thursday afternoon.
"I told him that the excess width detected by the match referee is due to a the tape pasted over the bat. If he removes that tape the bat would be exactly the normal size," Sareen said.
"All bats are of standard specified width and the fuss created is unwarranted and ambiguous," he added.
Ganguly and Sehwag were among seven cricketers whose bats were found to be marginally broader than prescribed limits after match referee Clive Lloyd carried out a random inspection before the India-Zimbabwe World Cup match in Harare on Wednesday.
