Canada cricket player Danielle McGahey is set to make history as the first transgender cricketer to play in an official international match.
The Australian-born McGahey, who moved to Canada in February 2020, was named as a member of Canada’s squad for a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Women’s Twenty20 World Cup.
McGahey began transitioning medically in May 2021.
The International Cricket Council rules state that trans women who want to compete internationally must show “the concentration of testosterone in her serum has been less than 5 nmol/L1 continuously for a period of at least 12 months, and that she is ready, willing and able to continue to keep it below that level for so long as she continues to compete.” They also state that players who transition from male-to-female must “provide a written and signed declaration, in a form satisfactory to the designated medical officer, that her gender identity is female.”
A spokesperson for Cricket Canada told the BBC that “Danielle’s selection was based on ICC’s player eligibility regulations for male-to-female transgender players. Danielle sent through her application to the ICC and Cricket Canada followed the process as per the ICC rules, which made Danielle’s selection to the Canadian team possible.”
“We can confirm that Danielle went through the process as required under the ICC’s player eligibility regulations and as a result has been deemed eligible to participate in international women’s cricket on the basis that she satisfies the MTF (male to female) transgender eligibility criteria,” said the ICC in a statement.
The tournament, which is underway this week, includes the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. The winner will earn a spot in next year’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
