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• ECB boss admits challenges remain for cricket after positive impact report

  Making cricket the most inclusive sport in the country and breaking down barriers to access will continue to present tough challenges for the England and Wales Cricket Board, according to chief executive Richard Gould.

  The ECB’s Impact of Cricket Report, published on Tuesday, was produced alongside the The Sports Consultancy (TSC), who assessed the governing body’s projects, programmes and data from recent years as well as the impacts they deliver.

  As well as demonstrating how cricket keeps people fit and healthy alongside supporting their mental wellbeing, being involved in the sport was shown to build children’s confidence and have positive impacts on both communities and social cohesion.

  The report, which focuses primarily on the 2022 and 2023 seasons, showed 80 per cent of respondents agreed playing cricket keeps them active in a way they would not be if they did not get involved.

  Other statistics showed 83 per cent of parents said their child’s confidence had been boosted by taking part in the ECB’s ‘All Stars and Dynamos’ programmes.

  When looking at social cohesion, the report found 92 per cent said playing cricket makes them feel part of the community, while 83 per cent agreed playing the sport meant they appreciate people from different backgrounds.

  The ECB hopes by growing the game, more people will benefit from the positive impacts and more opportunities will be created for people to get involved in the sport.

  Data from the report showed just over one million children played cricket through ECB programmes, partner programmes or organised play last year.

  During 2023, 717 new women’s and girls’ teams were established, which is a 20 per cent growth, while 526 recreational clubs have been funded to make their facilities more accessible and welcoming, with a focus on breaking down barriers to people getting involved in the sport.

  Access to cricket in urban areas is also improving, with funds targeted into the most deprived regions, which have helped more than 30,000 players engaged through hubs which bring together cricket and other local services.

  ECB chief executive Gould accepts breaking down socio-economic barriers to playing the sport remains “one of our big challenges”.

  Gould said: “Compared to football, which is arguably the biggest competitor, our challenges are more so. Without the assistance of Chance to Shine and the Lord’s Taverners, cricket is not played in schools.

  “We have seen the slow demise of that over decades and therefore we are reliant as a sport on our clubs and also our partners to try and get access into schools.

  “Football has the benefit of an entire network across all schools that we don’t have, so that is something we have to be cognisant of and make sure that we can get that type of investment in.”

  The ECB has recognised the importance of adapting the sport to urban environments, ensuring access for as many people as possible, which saw the Core City Hubs programme established in 2018.

  Through the Chance to Shine Street programme, almost 9,000 children and young people are playing free, weekly, year-round cricket, with 81 per cent of participants being from an ethnically diverse community.

  Gould feels the landscape of the sport, which has seen a rise in indoor cricket, is changing for the better.

  “The definition of a club needs challenging and we are going to challenge that now,” he said.

  “You don’t have to have a piece of grass and a pavilion, you can just have a collection of friends that meet in one of these sports halls once a week and you play cricket.

  “It is a very different landscape and I think it is a very exciting landscape because it just makes it much easier to play cricket.”

• ICC transgender ban ‘a blunt instrument’ which sends ‘very negative message’

  The ICC’s decision to ban trans cricketers from international competition is “a blunt instrument” that provides insufficient flexibility in the matter of transgender participation, according to the chair of one of the UK’s only LGBTQ+ cricket clubs.

  The world governing body announced on Tuesday that it will no longer allow transgender players to compete in international matches, after Canada’s Danielle McGahey became the first player to reach that level in September.

  McGahey featured in six T20 internationals at an International Cricket Council World Cup qualifying series hosted in Los Angeles, scoring 118 runs.

  But under the new rules she will no longer be eligible to represent her country in women’s cricket, with any player who has gone through male puberty prior to transitioning now excluded.

  The England and Wales Cricket Board’s current regulations for domestic matches state participation of trans players is to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, though the policy is yet to be tested in elite county cricket.

  Yet there are fears over the message that the ICC’s ruling will sent to young players starting out in the game and those competing at amateur level.

  Lachlan Smith, chair of Birmingham Unicorns CC, one of only three LGBTQ+ cricket clubs in the country, told the PA news agency: “It came completely out of the blue. Nobody saw it coming at all.

  “Relative to my understanding of how sport is addressing the question of trans participation, cricket and the ICC seem to have gone much further than any other sport. They’ve brought in a policy that feels like a very blunt instrument, and it’s disappointing to see that.

  “If you’re a young person who identifies as trans and you’re playing cricket, I think it will be very disheartening to see this.

  “Even if you don’t believe you’re good enough to be international standard, it’s just a very negative message to be receiving at a time when we’re trying to get more LGBTQ people involved in the game.

  “We’ve had a lot of success in doing that including within the trans community. So we’re disappointed.”

  Cricket Australia said on Thursday that its policy on trans participation remains unchanged and that players who have transitioned are still eligible to compete at elite level domestically.

  That also remains the ECB’s stance, though consultations have taken place over the last year with stakeholders from across the game which could lead to an updating of the governing body’s position.

  Last year, Rugby Union and Rugby League both took the decision to ban trans players from competing in the female-only from of the game, whilst swimming and cycling have taken similar steps.

  Smith said that members of his club have been consulted by the ECB and that they had been satisfied with the process so far, but call for more transparency from the ICC on how its decision has been reached.

  “The ECB are currently undertaking review of their trans participation policies,” said Smith. “They’ve worked with us and other LGBTQ stakeholders in the game on a consultation process. The talks with our members were quite constructive.

  “That (outcome) is still to be seen, but I’m hopeful that it will be nuanced and will consider as many variables as possible, unlike the ICC.

  “Other sports have been a bit more nuanced in considering things like testosterone levels, but these all feels very blunt. It would be interesting to know what research has been drawn on, particularly when there are such a small number of trans cricketers out there. The ICC haven’t been very forthcoming yet on that.

  “Cricket is a unique sport. You may have a first XI that has a 14-year-old and a 70-year-old. You have such a breadth of ages and skill levels and things like that. So there is already a policy to prevent terribly uneven competition.”

• Transgender athletes banned from playing international women’s cricket by ICC

  Transgender players who have been through male puberty will not be able to play international women’s cricket under new gender eligibility regulations announced by the International Cricket Council.

  In September, Canada’s Danielle McGahey became the first transgender cricketer to take part in an official international match when she featured in a Women’s T20 fixture against Brazil.

  The 29-year-old opening batter went on to play all six of Canada’s matches during the Women’s T20 World Cup Americas region qualifiers event in Los Angeles, to add to national team appearances previously in fixtures which did not hold official ICC status.

  Transgender athletes have been banned from taking part in elite women’s competitions in other sports such as swimming, cycling, athletics, rugby league and rugby union.

  Under the ICC’s previous regulations, which were effective from October 2018 and amended in April 2021, McGahey had satisfied all of the eligibility criteria.

  However, following an ICC board meeting, new gender regulations have been announced, which follow a nine-month consultation process with the sport’s stakeholders.

  The ICC said the new policy is “based on the following principles (in order of priority), protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion, and this means any male to female participants who have been through any form of male puberty will not be eligible to participate in the international women’s game regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken”.

  The review, led by the ICC medical advisory committee and chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt, relates solely to gender eligibility for international women’s cricket.

  Gender eligibility at domestic level is a matter for each individual member board, which the ICC notes “may be impacted by local legislation”. The regulations will be reviewed within two years.

  ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said: “The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and is founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review.

  “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”