Clare Connor, managing director of women’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board says she is not surprised by the adverse reaction to the gender-neutral term ‘batter’ replacing ‘batsman’ in cricket’s laws.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) elected Connor as its first female president and announced the change with immediate effect last week, saying it recognised the “changing landscape of the game”.
“The backlash is coming from people who don’t understand or empathise. It isn’t at all surprising,” said Connor.
Connor, who was speaking on BBC World Service’s Stumped podcast, added: “The reason I’m not surprised is that the keepers of that language have, in the main, been men who have been privileged in terms of their access to the game and their opportunities in the game.
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion but until you walk in the shoes of someone who, for whatever reason, hasn’t felt welcomed, or included or part of something then it is very hard for people to understand with what that might feel like.
“Language is very powerful, and particularly in sport it shouldn’t exclude anyone. Where the game is now an eight-year-old girl doesn’t want to be a batsman, or a policeman, or a postman, or a fireman - why would she want to be anything that has the word man in?
“It is a really good step because it signals an intent. They knew there would be backlash, but they knew it was the right thing to do as another step forward for the game.”
As managing director of women’s cricket at the ECB, Connor was involved in the decision to cancel the England men’s and women’s tours to Pakistan in October.
The decision came after New Zealand men withdrew from Pakistan mid-tour due to a “specific and credible threat” but the ECB’s statement did not reference security, instead citing mental fatigue of its players. (BBC Sport)