The ICC cites integrity and player safety in order to change gender eligibility regulations
ESPNcricinfo staff
Danielle McGhee, who became the first transgender player to appear in international cricket earlier this year, will no longer be able to participate in women’s international games following a major change to the ICC’s gender eligibility regulations.
Under the new rules, approved by the ICC’s governing body on Tuesday, any player who has transitioned from male to female and gone through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket, regardless of any sex reassignment surgery or treatment. Maybe they did.
McGhay, a 29-year-old soccer player, is originally from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020 and underwent a medical transition from male to female in 2021. In September 2023, she appeared for Canada in the women’s T20 Americas qualifier, a track . Championship to the 2024 T20 World Cup.
McGahey had met the gender eligibility criteria, then in place, to move from male to female to play international cricket. She has played six T20Is so far, scoring 118 runs at an average of 19.66 and a strike rate of 95.93.
The ICC finalized the new policy after a nine-month consultation process with stakeholders in the sport. The Board of Directors stated in a statement: “It is based on the following principles (in order of priority), protecting the integrity of women’s football, safety, fairness and inclusion.”
ICC chief executive Geoff Allardyce added: “Inclusivity is very important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the women’s international game and the safety of players.”
Currently, the review, led by the ICC’s Medical Advisory Committee chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt, concerns gender eligibility for women’s international cricket only.
“Gender eligibility at the local level is a matter for each individual member, which may be affected by local legislation,” the ICC said. “The regulations will be reviewed in two years.”