Batsmen get a lot of plaudits, don't they? Especially over the last month or two - rarely can the words "fastest", "double" and "century" have been bandied around so freely during the course of a few weeks. Well, excuse me for yawning, but we're here to say that it's not big and it's not clever. Never mind all those flashy centuries - somebody needs to stand up for the efforts of those other batsmen. You know, the ones whose exploits commentators politely try not to mention, and whose appearance at the crease throws team-mates either into a panic or into a fit of hysterics, sometimes both.

Everyone loves to see a No. 11 attempt to bat, so with this in mind, Wisden.com is proud to present Battle of the Bunnies, a search to find the greatest rabbit - or worst batsman, if you insist - currently playing Test cricket.

The rules are simple: the season runs for 12 months, at the end of which a World Bunny XI is chosen. The selectors are fair-minded: current form alone will decide places in the team, and every player starts with a clean sheet. Incompetence with the willow is the selectors' sole concern. Anyone may be considered; the only condition is that each competitor must have batted at least twice in a Test.

The selectors will meet every month to consider their choices, and the updated XI will be published here on Wisden.com. The first teamsheet, given below, features performances from all the Tests which took place around the world during March and April, and the quality of the bunnies' work is immediately obvious, with no player in the side boasting an average of more than 3.00.

Top of the tree - and therefore captaining the side - is India's young left-armer Ashish Nehra, who leaps ahead of Pakistan's Mohammad Sami by virtue of having recorded more ducks. Junior bowlers are followed by Junior Murray, one of three West Indians in the side and the first of two wicketkeepers, the other being India's Ajay Ratra. Will the youngsters have it all their own way in the months to come or will more experienced bunnies bounce back? Time will tell.

There was also stiff competition for the lower-order places, with the musical-sounding pair of Cuffy (Cameron) and Tuffey (Daryl) holding off no fewer than four players averaging three: it comes to something when Chris Drum and Glenn McGrath can't make it into the side, but better luck next time, boys.

Seasoned rabbit-watchers may have spotted the unfamiliar name of Sri Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu among the usual suspects; the selectors commend his current form but are unsure whether he will be able to keep up with the pace. It's tough at the top.

The Bunny XI (as at 30/04/02)

1 Ashish Nehra (Ind) 0, 0 avge 0.00 2 Mohammad Sami (Pak) 0*, 0 0.00
3 Junior Murray (WI) 0, 0, 1 0.33
4 Marvan Atapattu (SL) 0, 1 0.50
5 Ajay Ratra (Ind) 0, 2 1.00
6 Jason Gillespie (Aus) 0, 1, 3 1.33
7 Ray Price (Zim) 0, 3 1.50
8 Cameron Cuffy (WI) 0, 1*, 4 2.50
9 Daryl Tuffey (NZ) 0, 5, 2.50
10 Mervyn Dillon (WI) 0, 9, 0 3.00
11 Matthew Hoggard (Eng) 0*, 7, 0, 2 3.00 12th man Damien Martyn (Aus) avge 3.25
Full marks for enthusiasm to take part, but really, mate, you should stick to what you're good at ...

Catherine Hanley is a university lecturer, a keen cricketer and a regular contributor to Wisden.com. She was born in Tasmania and now lives in Sheffield, England.

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