‘You can get picked up for anything’ Cricketer David Gower on avoiding saying ‘batsman'
express.co.ukFormer cricket captain David Gower OBE has spoken about how you can “get picked up for virtually anything” on social media. One example the cricket commentator gave was being called out over the distinction between “batter” and “batsman”.
David returned from Australia last week after England’s lack-lustre performance in the Ashes, crumbling to 124 in just 38.5 overs.Considered one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, the 64-year-old pundit has shown that he’s not afraid to call out the team when necessary. “It’s been horribly obvious to people watching from a distance that Eoin Morgan has everything he wants with the white-ball team…but poor old Joe Root finds himself with people who aren’t available because, where are they?” David asked.“They are in the IPL.
What good is that to English Test cricket? This is the oldest, most important form of the game. We need to defend it. We need an England team that plays it well - not languishing at the foot of the World Test Championship…”In his interview with The Telegraph, the cricket legend also admitted that saying the “wrong thing” in the world of commentary can be disastrous in the context of today’s woke culture.During the piece, it was noted that the pundit seemed to “retain a certain guard” despite his conversational commentary style.He said: “One of Richie Benaud’s great aphorisms was ‘engage brain before speaking’.
It’s more true now than ever. “If you are aware of social media - sometimes best not to be - you will realise you can get picked up for virtually anything."The sports star went on to suggest that, due to the male-centric connotations of the word ‘batsman’, he was encouraged to replace it with the word ‘batter’.However, it seems that David has.
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