Sports agencies said in their latest transgender regulations that “only those who are biologically female” can participate in cricket.
Trans women will be banned from competing in the sport.
However, the ECB said trans women and girls can continue to participate in the sport when they are open and mixed categories.
The changes in the rules occurred after the British Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of women was based on biological sexual behavior.
“Our recreational cricket regulations are always designed to ensure that cricket remains as inclusive as possible,” the ECB said in a statement.
“These include managing gaps regardless of someone’s gender and maintaining the enjoyment of all players.
“However, given the new recommendations regarding the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.”
Sports agencies also said that discrimination has no “no status” in the sport because they vowed to ensure cricket “with a spirit of respect and inclusiveness.”
The ECB added: “We acknowledge that this decision will have a significant impact on trans women and girls.
“We will work with the Leisure Cricket Committee to support people affected by this change in regulations.
“We await the guidance of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and will look closely.”
In November 2023, the International Cricket Committee also announced that trans women who have experienced male adolescence are banned from participating in international women’s competitions.
On April 19, five Supreme Court justices unanimously decided that “the term for women and gender in the Equality Act refers to “biological women and biological gender.”
“The definition of gender in the Equality Act of 2010 clearly shows that the concept of sex is binary, whether a person is a woman or a man,” the Justice said in an 88-page ruling.
