Once described by Len Hutton as "absurd, just like a man trying to knit", women in cricket have not received the recognition they deserve. This blog seeks to rectify that. I am currently researching a PhD in the history of women's cricket, and as the subject is still in its infancy, that therefore (as far as I am aware) makes me the leading historian of the sport in Britain.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
10 ways to identify a Cricket Misogynist
A week on from "PoshTelGate", here are 10 ways to spot that (hopefully) dying breed, the Cricket Misogynist.
1. They use the term "batswoman".
2. They rave about how hot Ellyse Perry is. Then, when you ask them how many international wickets she's taken, they have absolutely no idea, and don't really give a damn either.
3. They persistently refer to women's cricket as "ladies' cricket", then when you reciprocate by talking about "gentleman's cricket" they look at you like you're insane. (I mean, really. When was the last time you heard Charlotte Edwards or Suzie Bates refer to themselves as a "lady cricketer"?)
4. They find it hilarious to make puns about "fine legs", "slips", and "maidens" (not realising these jokes were already old 50 years ago). They also find it hilarious that you DON'T find it hilarious.
5. They refuse to criticise any female players, because "gosh, I didn't realise women could actually DO that. We need to celebrate this fabulous achievement."
6. They ask if women's cricket is played with a tennis ball. (The correct answer is, "no, and if it wasn't for female cricketers, Jimmy Anderson would currently be attempting to bowl reverse swing underarm." Another correct answer is to punch them, but the former is possibly more effective in the long-run.)
7. They offer to move the boundary rope in for the players before a women's match.
8. They agree to umpire in a women's game, then spend most of the match offering the players coaching tips and "encouragement" in between deliveries (such as patting them on the head when they score 4 runs).
9. When a female clean bowls them, they smile and saunter back to the pavilion like they intended it to happen. They are, after all, a "gentleman".
10. "I could play for England Women", they tell you, as they struggle to stand up from the sofa, pie in hand.
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Ha, good list. I did wonder if batswoman was the appropriate term, though it just rolls off the tongue so clumsily. Batter sounds too American and there are gendered connotations for batsman. So which is best?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, if you consider yourself an average cricketer and you are a man, then you will most definitely still be an average cricketer playing against women.
Can we add "12th Player" to the list of silliness too?
ReplyDeleteBatsman is best! Batter, of course, goes around fish... or makes puddings.
ReplyDeleteAs Raf rightly implies, women's cricket is not a PC sport!
Don