Essex's glimmer of hope of winning the Vitality County Championship appeared to have disappeared after one of their players was deducted 12 points for using a big bat.
Opener Feroz Kushee failed a random bat gauge test in the second innings of a First Division match against Nottinghamshire in April, with Essex 20 points clear after winning by 254 runs.
However, 12 of them were ruled out after the Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC) ruled that Cusi, who scored 18 and 32, used a bat wider than the 10.8cm allowed at Trent Bridge.
Following the decision by the CDC, which arbitrates breaches of the rules and is independent of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Essex are now 56 points behind leaders Surrey with just two games remaining after the end of the current campaign.
Keith Fletcher, Chancellor of the University of Essex The Times Tuesday: “Peroz believes he did nothing wrong and that it was not just one player but the whole team that was punished.
“As a batsman, I know that a few millimetres either way won't make any difference to performance. Umpires test bats randomly and I think the ECB are being completely stupid.”
Essex appealed the initial ruling, citing concerns about “inconsistencies in bat counter compliance,” but a separate CDC panel rejected the appeal.
“Essex CCC regrets the outcome and is disappointed with the appeal decision and the sanctions it has imposed, but accepts the charges brought by the CDC panel,” the club’s statement read.
“Following the concerns raised during the appeal process, the Club will be writing to the CDC, the cricket regulator and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to formally highlight the issues raised during the process, including those raised by the Club in relation to the bat gauge.
“Essex CCC hopes that these concerns will prompt action to address inconsistencies and enhance fairness and transparency in future regulatory processes.”
Durham were deducted 10 points in 2022 for a similar offence by Nick Maddinson, while Derbyshire were deducted two points in the One-Day Cup in the same season after Matty McKiernan's bat was judged to be out of the allowed dimensions.
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