Transgender Cricketer Backs Anaya Bangar, Says She Understands the Struggle

For Danielle McGahey, Anaya Bangar’s effort to continue her cricketing career is a battle she understands all too well.

McGahey made history in 2023 by becoming the first transgender cricketer to play in an official international match. Just months later, however, an ICC policy change ended her international career.

Now, as Cricket Australia prepares to give Bangar a pathway into elite women’s cricket from March 2027, McGahey has publicly backed the Indian-origin cricketer.

“I want to express my full support for Anaya. I’m incredibly proud of her for continuing to pursue the sport she loves while facing an enormous amount of public scrutiny,” McGahey told India Today in an exclusive interview.

McGahey represented Canada before the ICC changed its eligibility regulations. Her own experience has given her a personal understanding of the intense scrutiny Bangar is currently facing.

Under Cricket Australia’s current framework, Bangar can play Premier Cricket in Australia while working towards eligibility for elite women’s cricket. A potential route could eventually lead from Premier Cricket to elite domestic cricket and the Women’s Big Bash League, although eligibility alone does not guarantee selection or a contract.

DIFFERING POLICIES

Bangar’s case has also highlighted the contrasting approaches of Cricket Australia and the ICC.

Cricket Australia applies a testosterone-based eligibility framework for domestic competitions, while the ICC has stricter regulations for international women’s cricket.

Under the ICC’s policy introduced in November 2023, transgender women who have experienced male puberty are not eligible to compete in international women’s cricket, regardless of whether they have undergone surgery or gender reassignment treatment.

McGahey believes discussions surrounding transgender participation should be based on scientific evidence rather than assumptions.

“My position remains very clear: trans women are women, and trans women belong in women’s sport,” she said.

She argued that the physiological effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy need to be considered in discussions about performance, adding that research has documented reductions in strength, muscle mass and other performance-related measures following hormone therapy.

Bangar’s eligibility has nevertheless sparked debate within the cricketing community. South Africa international Marizanne Kapp has criticised Cricket Australia’s decision, describing it as “absolutely ridiculous”.

The opposing views underline the difficult balance sporting authorities face between inclusion, competitive fairness and eligibility rules.

MCGAHEY’S CAREER ENDED AFTER ICC RULE CHANGE

McGahey knows the consequences of changing eligibility regulations firsthand.

The Australian-born cricketer moved to Canada and made history in September 2023 when she became the first transgender player to appear in an official international cricket match, making her T20I debut against Brazil.

She went on to represent Canada in six T20Is, scoring 118 runs at an average of 19.66, with a highest score of 48.

McGahey had been eligible under the ICC’s transgender participation policy at the time. But on November 21, 2023, the governing body approved new regulations preventing transgender women who had experienced male puberty from playing international women’s cricket.

Her international career was effectively brought to an end.

“With a very heavy heart, I must say that my international cricketing career is over,” McGahey said at the time.

‘ANAYA IS A HUMAN BEING’

That experience has shaped McGahey’s response to the criticism surrounding Bangar.

She said she was disappointed to see Bangar subjected to the same kind of ridicule and hostile commentary that she had faced after her own transition into international cricket.

McGahey stressed that disagreements over eligibility rules should not turn into personal attacks.

“Anaya is a human being who is simply trying to live her life and pursue her career in cricket,” she said, urging people to avoid personal attacks, ridicule and dehumanising language.

“Whatever someone’s opinion on sporting regulations may be, there is no justification for attacking someone personally,” she added.

For Bangar, the immediate challenge is to return to competitive cricket, develop her game and earn opportunities on the field.

For McGahey, her journey represents something broader — a reminder of what it means to continue pursuing a sporting dream while questions about eligibility, identity and inclusion are debated far beyond the cricket field.