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The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned transgender professional cricketers from participating in women's cricket at the top level. The announcement came on Tuesday. As per the reports from The Guardian, Transgender cricketers who have been through any form of male puberty will be prohibited from participating in any competition at international level. This will be applicable regardless of conditions whether they have undergone surgery or not.
The top governing body of cricket clarified that the decision is taken to protect the integrity of international women's games. The ICC finalised the regulation after a nine-month consultation process with cricket's stakeholders and board.
Explaining the decision, ICC Chief Executive Officer Geoff Allardice said, "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. 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 decision came after Canada's Danielle McGahey became the first transgender cricketer to feature in official international cricket, earlier this year. As per the new ICC guidelines, she will not play cricket at the international level.
Taking to ESPNcricinfo, Brazilian Women's skipper Roberta Moretti Avery said, "It's a decision that appears to have been made by the ICC in good faith with the benefit of the most recent scientific advice."
Moreover, Transgender athletes have been restricted from taking part in women's competitions at the highest level in other sports such as athletics, cycling, swimming, rugby league, and rugby union.
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