In a significant move, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that from 2025, trans women who have gone through male puberty will be banned from playing professional women’s cricket in England and Wales. This decision aligns with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) policy, which was implemented last year, banning trans women who underwent male puberty from playing international cricket.

The ICC’s decision to ban trans women from elite-level cricket was made following Canada’s Danielle McGahey becoming the first transgender cricketer to play at the international level. This policy aims to provide consistency across domestic and international competitions in women’s cricket.

The ECB’s decision follows an extensive consultation process and is in line with the ICC’s policy changes from 2023. The decision comes after a thorough review of scientific and medical evidence and takes into account various opinions gathered during consultations held throughout 2023.

The ECB released a statement saying, “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.”

This new policy will apply to Tiers 1 and 2 of the new women’s domestic structure, as well as The Hundred Women’s competition, starting from the 2025 season. The detailed policy is expected to be fully developed over the coming months in consultation with key stakeholders.