ECB bans trans women from playing professional cricket

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has banned trans women who have underwent male puberty from playing women's cricket for the national side. The move brings ECB into the line with the International Cricket Council (ICC) policy updated last year to block trans women who underwent through male puberty from playing international cricket, as per Wisden. It comes after an extensive consultation process, which was extended following the ICC's policy announcement.

A statement from the ECB on the news said as quoted by ECB: "Having considered wide-ranging views gathered during the consultation, as well as in consultations conducted during 2023, and the relevant science and medical evidence, the ECB has decided that from 2025 it will adopt the same approach as the ICC for women's professional domestic cricket. This provides consistency, given that a primary purpose of the top end of the domestic structure is to produce international players."

"The detailed policy will now be developed over the coming months, in consultation with stakeholders, and is due to be formally in place in time for the 2025 domestic season. It will apply to Tiers 1 and 2 of the new women's domestic structure from 2025, as well as The Hundred Women's competition," he added.

As per the previous ECB policy allowed trans woman to play the women's professional competitions, provided they were given clearance by the ECB to do so and the instances were assessed on case-by-case basis. The decision to change that policy does not affect the players playing the sport at recreational level, under which players are accepted to play in the competitions matching the gender they identify as.

The decision does bring ECB into line with ICC's policy, but puts them at odds with other domestic cricket boards. For instance, Cricket Australia currently has no requirements regarding the age of a transgender player's transition, but specify that a trans women should keep their concentration of testosterone in serum to less than 10 nanomoles per litre continuously for 12 months or more in order to play in women's cricket competitions at professional level.

The ECB statement concluded: "The ECB recognises that transgender participation is a complex area, with many strongly held views, and it is impossible to balance all the considerations. We want everyone to feel included and welcome in our sport, and believe the position reached strikes an appropriate balance by ensuring fairness in the elite game while ensuring inclusivity at a recreational level, with specific safeguards in place to manage disparities and ensure safety." (ANI)