Anaya Bangar finds support in a transgender cricketer who knows the battle
For Danielle McGahey, Anaya Bangara’s fight to keep her cricket dream alive has a familiar weight.
Almost three years after becoming the first transgender cricketer to play an official international match, McGahey saw her own international career end with a change in ICC rules. Now like Cricket Australia clears the way for Bangara to pursue elite women’s cricket as of March 2027, McGahey decided to stand firmly behind her.
“I want to express my full support to Anaya. I am incredibly proud of her for continuing to play 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 decision ended her international career. Her experience has given her a personal connection to overseeing Bangar, who can play Premier Cricket in Australia in the interim before becoming eligible for elite cricket, subject to the relevant requirements.
A NEW CHAPTER AWAITS IN AUSTRALIA
Anaya Bnagr will be able to play elite cricket in Australia from March 2027. Courtesy: Anaya Bangar Instagram
For Bangar, Cricket Australia’s decision offers something that has been missing for a long time: a path back to competitive cricket.
Her potential journey could take her from Premier Cricket to elite domestic cricket and eventually the Women’s Big Bash League. However, eligibility does not guarantee selection or conclusion of a contract.
Her case also highlights the different approaches taken by cricket’s governing bodies. Cricket Australia uses a testosterone-based eligibility framework for domestic competitions, while the ICC has stricter regulations for international cricket.
Under current ICC policy, transgender women who have experienced male puberty are ineligible to play international women’s cricket, regardless of gender reassignment surgery or treatment. The policy was approved in November 2023 following a nine-month consultation process.
MCGAHEY CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS
Danielle McGahey to retire from international cricket in 2023. Courtesy: Danielle McGahey Instagram
McGahey believes the discussion about transgender participation should be based on research rather than assumptions about transgender athletes.
“My position remains very clear: trans women are women and trans women belong in women’s sports. After years of gender-affirming hormone therapy, the physiological picture is very different from what is often portrayed in public debate.”
“Research has shown substantial reductions in strength, muscle mass, and other performance-related measures after hormone therapy, with many measures moving toward or comparable to cisgender female ranges over time. These conversations deserve to be based on evidence rather than assumptions about transgender bodies.”
Her comments come as Bangar’s eligibility continues to spark debate among players and supporters of the women’s game. South Africa International Marizanne Kapp publicly criticized Cricket Australia’s decisionand called it “absolutely ridiculous”.
The contrasting positions reflect the wider challenges facing sports bodies as they navigate issues of inclusion, competitive fairness and eligibility.
A CAREER THAT FREAKED DOWN
Danielle McGahey has played 6 T20Is for Canada. Courtesy: Instagram
For McGahey, the debate is not abstract. She survived its consequences.
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 played six T20Is for Canada and scored 118 runs at an average of 19.66, with a highest score of 48.
At the time, McGahey was deemed eligible under the ICC’s existing criteria for transgender participation. But on 21 November 2023, the governing body approved new regulations banning transgender women who have experienced male puberty from international women’s cricket.
McGahey’s international career was subsequently over.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I have to say that my international cricket career is over,” she said at the time.
The decision marked an abrupt end to the international journey of a player who made history just a month ago.
A PLEA FOR DIGNITY
Danielle McGahey said Anaya Bangar doesn’t deserve to be mocked. Courtesy: Anaya Instagram
This experience shaped McGahey’s response to the exploration around Bangar.
“I was especially disappointed to see Anaya subjected to the same ridicule, hostility and dehumanizing comments I experienced three years ago. It is incredibly disheartening to see how little some parts of the public conversation seem to have moved forward, especially as our medical and scientific understanding of transgender people continues to evolve.”
McGahey said disagreement over sports regulations should never become an excuse for personal attacks.
“But aside from the sporting and scientific debates, I think it’s important to remember that Anaya is a human being who is simply trying to live his life and pursue his cricket career. Personal attacks, mockery and dehumanizing comments are completely inappropriate.”
“Whatever one’s views on the rules of the sport, there is no justification for making a personal attack on someone and those words can have very real consequences for the person on their end.
“I hope that as this discussion continues, people will remember the human being at the center of it and treat Anaya with the dignity and respect she deserves.”
For Bangar, the immediate focus is on the cricket field – to come back, rebuild and earn his place through performance.
But for McGahey, Bangar’s journey is also a reminder of a battle he knows all too well: what it means to continue playing the sport you love when your fitness, identity and future are debated far beyond the borders.
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
31 Aug 2026 06:28 IST