London - The Marylebone Cricket Club, the sport's traditional rule-making body, is investigating the legality of a graphite-coated bat used by Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
The MCC said its investigation was to check the bat's design complied with laws regarding the composition of the blade and the thickness of any covering material on the bat. It is also checking the covering doesn't damage the ball.
"MCC has produced a report at the request of the International Cricket Council, which is the body responsible for playing regulations and for the implementation of the laws of cricket during international matches," the MCC said in a statement on Thursday.
"The MCC simply wants to satisfy itself that the design complies with the laws of cricket, and advise the ICC accordingly."
The MCC said it made no assessment of the power of the bat.
The ICC will rule on the report next month.
Ponting has been using the bat, made by Kookaburra, since January. The bat was investigated only after Kookaburra contacted the ICC to query the amount of branding allowed on a bat.