Danielle McGahey, a cricket player from Canada, will make history by becoming the first transgender to play international cricket. Her historic inclusion will take place the following month during a regional qualifying match for the Bangladesh 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup.
McGahey, who is 29 years old, will serve as the opening batter for Canada’s women’s team in the qualifying competition. She met the requirements set forth by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for players who are male-to-female transgender.
The qualifying event will take place in Los Angeles from September 4 to September 11. In the ICC Americas Qualifier, Canada is competing for a spot in the international qualifiers against Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.
“I am absolutely honoured. To be able to represent my community is something I never dreamed I would be able to do,” McGahey was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
Transition from male to female
In November 2020, McGahey began her social transition from male to female after moving from Australia to Canada in February 2020. In May 2021, she started her medical transition.
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The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) dedication to equal rights is demonstrated by McGahey’s admission into the world of international cricket, which represents a huge step forward. This inclusion emphasises the value of inclusivity throughout the sport and is consistent with the progressive stance of the governing body.
ICC regulations
According to ICC’s player eligibility regulations released in 2018 (and amended in 2021), trans women wishing to play women’s international cricket must demonstrate “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”.
It further states that a trans cricketer must “provide a written and signed declaration, in a form of satisfactory to the designated medical officer, that her gender identity is female”.
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ICC’s statement
On allowing McGahey to be the first transgender to play international cricket, the ICC said in a statement: “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 transgender eligibility criteria.”
Danielle McGahey fulfilling her dream
McGahey claimed that she is exerting every effort within her power to fulfil her dream of competing in international cricket. “In order to determine (my testosterone levels), I’ve been doing blood tests every month now for over two years. I also have to put in my player profile who I have played against and how many runs I’ve scored,” she said.
McGahey further added, “A lot of work with my doctor sending my medical information through to the ICC… they have a dedicated medical officer who looks over all of the information provided, and determines whether or not I have provided enough for an expert panel to make a decision.
“The need to do blood tests every month is probably the biggest challenge because when you are playing cricket you are travelling a lot,” McGahey said.
During the nation’s women’s inter-provincial tournament, which allows a transgender player to participate based simply on gender self-identification, McGahey caught the eye of Cricket Canada selectors with her batting prowess.
Later, in October 2022, McGahey competed for Canada in four T20 matches in the South American Championships. But no international recognition was given to such games.
