The ICC aims to prevent the ball flying off the bat's edge and going for a big hit.
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The ICC is all set to deliver a yorker to batsmen as it looks to crackdown on bats with monster edges. On eve of the World Cup, in an effort to render a "fair" balance between bat and ball, the ICC has decided to regulate the edges of the bats, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
The ICC chief executive David Richardson in an interview with ESPNCricinfo admitted that the balance of the game "may have shifted a bit too much" in favour of the batsmen.
"No one begrudges an AB de Villiers, who plays some superb shots," Richardson said. "Him, Brendon McCullum, Kumar Sangakkara, they are exceptionally talented and no one minds if they hit some great shots which go for six.(World Cup 2015: Full Coverage)
"But where some batsmen are mishitting balls and it is just carrying over the rope and going for a six instead of being caught at the boundary, that is what some cricket people believe has become unfair.
"The MCC (World Cricket Committee), as law makers, and the ICC will be looking at giving perhaps some consideration to placing limitations on the depth of a bat in particular."(Top 5 Batsmen to Watch Out for)
Richardson also mentioned that the boundary ropes will be pushed back to at least 90 metres "where possible" at the World Cup.
The crackdown however, hasn't gone down well with the bat manufacturers. They have labelled the pending action on bat sizes as short-sighted.
"It's got nothing to do with the bat sizes," said Spartan Sports owner Kunal Sharma. "It's purely because you're using a brand new ball for the first 20 overs. I've got cricket bats here in my business and they're half the size and they ping just as much. It's only a psychological thing in your mind."
Greg Eime, the brand manager at Gunn & Moore, had a different view and pointed out at the factor of smaller grounds.
"Effectively the game has changed and the way the batsmen play has changed," Eime said. "It's a combination of a lot of things, even down to the players' physical fitness and strength. To go finger pointing at the bats, I don't think that's quite fair."
The players too were in agreement with the manufacturers. Australian all-rounder Dan Christian responded on social media tweeting: "2 x 200's, and fastest 100 broken twice, all since 2 new balls and only 4 fielders out rule came in".
Former Australian Test opener Ed Cowan agreed and replied: "Bingo. That IS the issue. Bats may have changed 5% in last 10 years but easy target to blame."
With a fortnight to go for the World Cup, this news would be a big jolt to the batting fraternity while the bowlers might breathe a sigh of relief.
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