‘This is s***’: Backlash over plan to change name of cricket wickets to ‘outs’

For some people, it’s just not cricket.

England is shaking things up with its new domestic competition The Hundred and the changes keep coming.

The tournament — which goes even further than T20 by limiting teams to just 100 balls per innings — will change the name of “wickets” to “outs”, in a bid to simplify the sport’s terminology and attract new fans, as reported by UK publication The Telegraph.

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It’s a revolution that’s too tough to digest for some cricket traditionalists, who may already be sceptical about the radical overhaul to established rules for the tournament’s inaugural edition later this year.

Former Australian star Brad Hodge gave a blunt appraisal on Twitter. “This is s**t,” he said.

Sports writer Glenn Moore added: “As a lifelong cricketer I think the idea of calling wickets ‘outs’ [for the Hundred] is patronising and dumb. But does it make cricket more accessible?

“If so, should tennis do away with 15-15, love, deuce and all that sets and games nonsense Should golf dump birdies and bogies?

“My personal view is no. The lexicon of a sport is part of what it makes it distinctive, part, even, of its attraction. The more you learn the more you become an insider, it is like a rewards system.

“Simplifying something doesn’t always make it better.”

Brad Hodge isn’t a fan of the idea. Picture: Tait Schmaal.Source:News Corp Australia

Jack Mendel called it “utterly, utterly nonsensical semantic bollocks”.

“It almost feels like they are trying to de-cricket, cricket. They are trying to ensure that this new audience that’s supposedly going to tune into the Hundred, is basically an audience that has zero interest in cricket. They like crisps, perhaps?” he tweeted.

“To this end, I completely get why someone like me, an actual cricket fan, doesn’t understand [or like] the idea of the Hundred. It’s not aimed at me. BUT, and it’s a big but, there is not room for 4 formats. Something will have to give.”

Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan weighed in on social media, asking his followers for their thoughts.

“So it’s going to be ‘Outs’ rather than ‘wickets’ for the #Hundred tournament!!! What do we all think? Too much change or pretty cool?? #Cricket,” Vaughan tweeted.

Cricket writer Isabelle Westbury isn’t a fan, while fellow reporter Elizabeth Ammon also pointed out a problem with the name change when it comes to other formats like Test and one-day cricket.

My 14 year old son shares his views ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/gyznhtmuBr

Darren Lehmann and Shane Warne are coaching in the competition. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images for ECB)Source:Getty Images

Additionally, the term “batsman” will be replaced by “batter” in the men’s tournament, in alignment with women’s cricket.

A spokeswoman for The Hundred said “nothing’s been finalised”, but added: “The Hundred is designed to make cricket accessible to everyone, and research shows that the language of the game can sometimes be a barrier.

“Along with our broadcast partners, we want the Hundred to open cricket up to more people, as well as entertaining existing fans, so we’re discussing the clearest ways of explaining the game.”

Bowlers in The Hundred will be able to bowl blocks of five or 10 balls in a row, and can deliver a maximum of 20 deliveries per innings.

The women’s tournament kicks off on July 21, with the men’s edition starting on July 22.

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