- Last manually operated scoreboard at a major Australian venue
- Has stood since 1911 without major changes
- Changes have been made to keep up with the important modern trend
The iconic Adelaide Oval scoreboard has undergone a subtle change ahead of the cricket season, allowing eagle-eyed fans to see it in action in the Women’s Big Bash League final.
The classic ground has been in use since 1911 and is the only manual scoreboard still functioning at major Australasian venues to this day.
During that time, minimal changes have been made to the scoreboard, ensuring it remains a piece of Australian cricket history.
The latest change, however, is a sign that the ground is moving with the times, with the word ‘Batsman’ being replaced with ‘Batting’.
Not only does it make the column more consistent with the ‘Bowling’ section of the scoreboard, but it also makes the word gender neutral as the women’s game continues to grow in popularity.
The classic Adelaide Oval scoreboard featured the word ‘Batsmen’ regardless of whether men or women were playing at the venue
The minor change to ‘Batting’ on Adelaide’s scoreboard was quietly rolled out during the 2023 WBBL season
The Strikers WBBL franchise calls Adelaide Oval their home and will now have a gender-neutral scoreboard for their matches
While the change has been welcomed by many, others have wondered why it took so long for the update to become a reality.
The first women’s match at Adelaide Oval was held in 1949, with the Aussies hosting England in a watershed match that attracted a crowd of 17,025 over three days.
All-rounder Betty Wilson starred for the home side with a century and nine wickets in the match in a dominant win for the Australians.
Wilson was nicknamed ‘The Female Bradman’ when she scored 862 runs at an average of 57.46 and took 68 wickets in her 11 Test matches for Australia.
The first women’s one-day international at the ground was held in 1996 between Australia and New Zealand, while the two countries also contested the first women’s T20 international at the venue in 2011.
Australian all-rounder Betty Wilson was dubbed the ‘female Bradman’ and destroyed England with bat and ball in the first women’s Test match at the Adelaide Oval in 1949
Tahlia McGrath will lead the Strikers in the WBBL final at the famous ground next month
The first edition of the Women’s Big Bash League was launched in 2015-2016, with the Adelaide Strikers splitting matches between Karen Rolton Oval and Adelaide Oval.
“Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long,” one fan wrote.
“To be honest, ‘bowling’ and ‘batsman’ always looked a bit weird,” another added.
However, some cricket fans were outraged by the subtle change and believe it was implemented as part of a wider social agenda.
‘If women’s cricket is also played there, then it is fair play. If they admit that the world is going crazy and people identify with whatever they want, then no. I’m not participating,” wrote one cricket fan.
“So about the wokeness in Australia,” another added.
One particularly outraged follower wrote: ‘The world has gone mad… What a joke.’
“Stop giving in to the madness,” another commenter replied.
The Adelaide Strikers finished second on the WBBL ladder and will host the final at Adelaide Oval on December 2.