The changes have been approved by the MCC Committee on Wednesday.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Wednesday (September 22) announced amendments to the laws of cricket to use the gender-neutral terms “batter” and “batters”, rather than “batsman” or “batsmen” to “reinforce cricket’s status as an inclusive game for all”.
The changes have been approved by the MCC Committee on Wednesday after the initial discussion by the club’s specialist laws sub-committee regarding the same and are effective immediately and the updates have been made to the Laws of Cricket published on the Lord's website.
The Lords’ official website stated, “MCC believes that the use of gender-neutral terminology helps reinforce cricket’s status as an inclusive game for all. The amendments are a natural evolution from work already undertaken in this area as well as an essential part of MCC’s global responsibility to the sport.”
It further added, “A number of Governing Bodies and media organizations are already using the term “batter” in their Playing Conditions and reporting. We expect and encourage others to adopt the updated terminology following today’s announcement of the change to the Laws.
The changes announced today reflect the wider usage of the terms “batter” and “batters” which has occurred in cricketing circles in the intervening period. The move to “batter” is a natural progression, aligning with the terms of bowlers and fielders that already sit within the Laws.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Cox, Assistant Secretary (Cricket and Operations) at MCC said: “MCC believes in cricket being a game for all and this move recognizes the changing landscape of the game in modern times.”
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He added, “Use of the term “batter” is a natural evolution in our shared cricketing language and the terminology has already been adopted by many of those involved in the sport. It is the right time for this adjustment to be recognized formally and we are delighted, as the Guardians of the Laws, to announce these changes today.”
The website also mentioned that Women’s cricket has enjoyed unprecedented growth at all levels around the world in the same period. England’s victory over India in the 2017 World Cup Final took place in front of a capacity crowd at Lord’s.
A record international crowd saw Australia defeat India in the Women's T20 World Cup 2020 final in Melbourne three years later and earlier this year, Lord’s broke the record for a domestic women’s match as 17,116 watched Oval Invincible defeat Southern Brave during the Women's The Hundred tournament.
(With MCC/ lords.org Inputs)