There's no doubt about it. The bat is the most crucial piece of equipment a batsman needs in cricket.
Which makes it incredulous that a player would begin to walk out into the middle to begin their innings without one.
But that's exactly what Fawad Ahmed did before his innings in a Sheffield Shield game for Victoria against West Australia yesterday. The Victorian number 11 began to walk out into the middle wearing his helmet, pads and gloves before realising he might need something to help score some runs. He quickly turned around before someone brought him his bat.
The tail ender survived seven balls before his side were dismissed for 322.
Ahmed has a first innings high score of 23 and averages just 10.32 when he does remember his bat.
