Transgender Players Banned From International Women’s Cricket

A transgender flag sits on the grass outside of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, on May 22, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) board has banned transgender players from international women’s cricket.

New gender eligibility regulations stop cricketers who have been through male puberty and identify as female from playing the international women’s game.

The ICC board said it approved new gender eligibility regulations following a nine-month consultation process with stakeholders.

“The new policy is based on the following principles (in order of priority), protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion,” the board said.

“And this means any male to female participants who have been through any form of male puberty will not be eligible to participate in the international women’s game regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.”

With A Very Heavy Heart

Australian-born Canadian cricketer Danielle McGahey, in a post to Instagram, said “we are not a threat” in an Instagram post following the decision.

The 29-year-old became the first transgender cricketer to play an international match for Canada in September at a qualifying tournament for the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Los Angeles.

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“Following the ICC’s decision this morning, it is with a very heavy heart that I must say that my international cricketing career is over. As quickly as it begun, it must now end,” he said on Instagram.

“While I hold my opinions on the ICC’s decision, they are irrelevant. What matters is the message being sent to millions of trans women today, a messaging say that we don’t belong.

“I promise I will not stop fighting for equality for us in our sport, we deserve the right to play cricket at the highest level, we are not a threat to the integrity or safety of the sport.”

Born in the Australian state of Brisbane, Mr. McGahey started playing in a men’s team in Melbourne before moving to Canada.

After playing one season for a local men’s team in Canada, the cricketer medically transitioned in May 2021. In 2023, Canada selected Mr. McGahey for the Canadian squad.

Founded in Science

International Cricket Council chief executive Geoff Allardice said the decision was “founded in science” and made to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and player safety.

“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and is founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review,” Mr. Allardice said in a statement.

“Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”

The nine-month review ahead of the decision was led by an ICC medical advisory committee chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt. The review only considered gender eligibility for international women’s cricket. The decision will be reviewed in two years.

Domestic-level cricket decisions on gender eligibility will be up to each member board, which may have to consider local laws, the ICC noted in a statement.