Transgender players banned from playing women’s cricket

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned transgender women players from playing international women’s cricket. Danielle McGahey became the first transgender woman cricketer to be allowed to play earlier this year after changes to the ICC’s gender rules meant Danielle would no longer be able to play in international cricket.

The 29-year-old batsman hails from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020 and after transitioning from male to female in 2021, she joined Canada in the Women’s T20 America qualifiers in September 2023. McGahey met the ICC’s gender eligibility criteria at the time. McGahey has played six Twenty20 Internationals so far and has scored 118 runs at an average of 19.66 and a strike rate of 95.93.

ICC approved new rules on Tuesday, stating, “Any player who has transitioned from male to female, regardless of surgery or gender reassignment treatment, will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket after the will not be allowed.”

The ICC finalized the new policy after a nine-month consultation process. The rules are based on protecting the integrity, fairness, and inclusion of the women’s game, the board said in a release.