The Batsman

A living language is always evolving, with some words in the English language being added or discarded. The case below is one of the latter variety.

Batsman. 

In cricket, the term has been used to describe someone who bats as opposed to one who bowls or fields. In 2021, the term batsman was officially replaced by batter. When I hear batter, I immediately think of fish & chips. 

Why the change? Women now play the game so it was decided "to reinforce Cricket's inclusiveness as a game for all". Really? How pathetic! The fact is men who bat are still batsmen, even if women play the game too. If batswoman is not suitable, find a term that does suit women and if batter is that term, so be it. I doubt women cricketers worry about a man being called a batsman anyway.  

There is a third man fielding position and a lower ranked batsman coming in late in the day is called a nightwatchman. I wonder how the PC brigade at the MCC will address these gender excluding terms? Batsman has a long history of usage in the game and to throw it out when it should offend no one sums up the distorted and overbearing reasoning that we are subjected to in today's society. Go for it batsmen.