Transgender cricketer from Canada announces retirement after ICC bans transgenders from women's cricket

ICC banned transgenders from women’s cricket in the recently concluded board meeting.

In a major decision taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC), transgender players have been barred from taking part in Women’s cricket. The transgender players have been barred from playing Women’s cricket at the highest level. ICC has put a stop on transgender players who have gone through any form of male puberty and will be prohibited from competing at the highest level at the international level. 

The ICC has taken this step to protect the integrity of women’s international cricket and also the safety of other players. The decision is taken after much deliberation from all the stakeholders. This consultation went on for about 9 months and then a decision was taken. This decision has also ended the career of Canadian Danielle McGahey who became the first ever transgender woman player to play international women’s cricket. 

Danielle McGahey’s career is over

Danielle McGahey was an Australian before moving to Canada in 2020 and he underwent a male-to-female transition in the year 2021. She played 6 Women’s T20I games for Canada in the Women’s T20 Americas qualifier. She scored 118 runs in 6 games at a strike rate of 95.93. Danielle McGahey was disappointed by the ICC’s decision and accepted that her international career was over before taking off in international cricket. 

29-year-old Danielle McGahey posted her message on her instagram story and wrote, “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. 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 of the sport.”

Brazilian women’s team skipper Roberta Moretti Avery has also called the decision unfortunate, 

The ICC chief executive Geoff Alardice explained the decision and 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.” 

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.