Meet Canada's Danielle McGahey, Who Is Set To Become First Transgender To Play International Cricket

Danielle McGahey of Canada will become the first transgender cricketer to play in an international match when she represents her adopted country during the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh. The 29-year-old McGahey, an opening batter, has been selected in Canada's women's squad for the next month's qualifying tournament after she fulfilled ICC's eligibility criteria for male-to-female transgender players.

The qualifying tournament will be played in Los Angeles from September 4 to 11.

Canada will take on Argentina, Brazil and the United States in the ICC Americas Qualifier for a place in the Global Qualifiers.

"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.

McGahey moved to Canada from Australia in February 2020 and began her social transition from a man to a woman in November 2020. She started medical transition in May 2021.

McGahey's participation in international cricket is a big forward-looking step by ICC as part of the game's governing body's policy of equal rights.

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 tans cricketer must "provide a written and signed declaration, in a form of satisfactory to the designated medical officer, that her gender identity is female".

On allowing McGahey to be the first