ESPNCricinfo Takes Gender-Neutral Path With Terminology Changes

One of cricket’s leading websites will be using gender-neutral terms in their coverage of the sport.

ESPNCricinfo to replace batsman with batter and gender-neutral path.  

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One of the most popular cricket website ESPNCricinfo have taken a step towards gender neutrality, beginning Thursday, 15 April.

The website will be using gender-neutral terms in their coverage of cricket matches across the board.

ESPNCricinfo will now replace the term batsman with batter and Man of the Match will also be called the Player of the Match on their website.

The move was announced on social media by one of their writers Sreshth Shah.

The move was welcomed by the cricket fraternity on social media with some asking them to differentiate between men’s ODIs/T20Is and women’s ODIs/T20Is as well. One of the most common mistakes in cricket coverage has been not differentiating both.

This came to the forefront once again when Prasidh Krishna made his ODI debut against England in Pune, returning with the best figures for a bowler on debut for India in the men’s game.

Krishna registered figures of 4/54, which was being celebrated as the best figures on debut by an Indian, but social media was quick to point out that it is in fact Purnima Choudhary with figures of 5/21 against West Indies in 1997 who held the record.