The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has banned transgender women from the senior levels of women’s domestic cricket.

Under the new policy announced on Thursday (October 17), trans women will no longer be able to participate in elite women’s cricket in England.

The decision was made after what the ECB board described as an “extensive consultation” which was extended after the International Cricket Commission (ICC) essentially banned trans women from playing competitively.

“In reaching its conclusion, the ECB took into account the interplay between fairness, security and inclusion, all of which are considered important,” the ECB said in a statement.

A detailed policy would be drafted over the coming months in consultation with team sport stakeholders and implemented in early 2025.

The ECB said it would likely take the “same approach” as the ICC to assess who can participate in the national sport at two levels, determining whether an individual has “undergone male puberty”.

He said the council had considered “a wide variety of views” during the consultation, as well as “relevant scientific and medical evidence”.

“The ECB strives to become the most inclusive team sport,” the text adds. “Recreational cricket and Tier 3 of the national structure – which includes the national counties – will continue to use the existing social model, in which individuals are accepted in the gender with which they identify.

“The ECB recognizes that transgender participation is a complex area, with many strongly held views, and that it is impossible to balance all considerations.

“We want everyone to feel included and welcome in our sport, and believe that the position achieved strikes an appropriate balance in ensuring fairness in the elite game while ensuring inclusiveness at the recreational level, with safeguards “specific measures in place to manage disparities and ensure safety.”

Despite this claim, there is no explicit evidence that trans women’s participation in sporting events poses a risk to cisgender athletes.

Following a decision by World Aquatics, formally FINA, to essentially ban trans women from women’s competitive swimming events, endocrinologist Dr. Ada Cheung clarified that experts are unsure whether trans women have an advantage biological.

“Actually, we don’t know if there is a biological advantage for transgender women over cisgender women because the scientific data is unclear,” Cheung said. “The (World Aquatic) report is actually based on the opinion of a group of people, it is not a reference.”

In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that trans athletes may be at a disadvantage in certain areas of competition, particularly those that rely on cardiovascular capacity and strength.