Cricket Governing Body imposes ban on transgender players in international women’s cricket

The Cricket Governing Body has taken some bold decisions in its recent board meeting. One of the notable rule changes that emerged on Tuesday, November 21 was the permanent ban on transgender players in international women's cricket. It is learned that the governing body held nine months of consultation with the stakeholders before reaching the decision.

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According to the new rule, any player who has transitioned from male to female and has been through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women's international cricket. This will apply regardless of any surgery or treatment they have undergone. A statement released by the Cricket Governing Body mentioned that the decision was taken to protect the integrity of the women's game.

"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, 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," the board said.

Danielle Mcgahey can no longer play at the highest level

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Danielle McGahey of Canada was the first transgender cricketer to play women’s international cricket. McGahey played six WT20Is for Canada back in September 2023 in the Women's T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier. The 29-year-old scored 118 runs at an average of 19.66.

However, with the new rule in place, McGahey will no longer be able to participate in any international competition. The Brisbane-born cricketer moved from Australia to Canada in February 2020, after which he transitioned from male to female. 

"The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” governing body Chief Executive Geoff Allardice was quoted as saying. 

“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," he added.