Fans of cricket around the world are accustomed to seeing a score such as 52/1 or 211/8; their counterparts in Australia write-and say-the same score as 1/52 or 8/211, respectively. For most people, it would appear that Australia does it "backwards," but the actual story goes back more than 140 years-and it all started because of one scoreboard. The Origin of the Reverse Scoreboard The first official Test match was played in 1877. In that game, Australian player Ned Gregory became the first batter to get a duck in Test cricket. A few years later, Gregory became the curator of the SCG. Gregory thus never liked the scoreboard used during his time. He believed the then-used English-style scoreboards were dull and did not provide much-needed information. Thus, he decided to design something better. He had a huge scoreboard designed at the SCG that was operated by at least two operators where all key details about the match would be clearly displayed. But his design had one major change, Gregory placed the wickets before the runs. So, where England would write “52 for 1,” Gregory’s scoreboard read “1 for 52.” This small design choice changed how cricket scores were read across all of Australia. People loved the new scoreboard. It was hailed as one of the best scoreboards in the world, and soon other grounds across Australia mimicked it. Broadcasters, radio commentators, and journalists did the same because that was what they saw on the scoreboard. Over time, it became the normal way to read scores in Australia. Also Read | Watch: Mitchell Starc Castles Ben Stokes with a Beauty in Ashes 2025-26 Opener A Tradition That Lives On Even when, in 1930, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) replaced Gregory's original scoreboard, they retained the layout: wickets first, runs second. To this day, every match in Australia still uses that format. For many fans it feels natural and easy to understand. Some argue that scores should be read as “runs for the loss of wickets,” but as long as everyone knows what the numbers mean, the difference does not affect the game. What started as one man’s idea turned into a permanent tradition.