Marizanne Kapp criticizes Cricket Australia's transgender inclusion policy for Anaya Bangar

Marizanne Kapp and Anaya Bangar

NEW DELHI: South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has strongly criticised Cricket Australia’s decision to offer transgender cricketer Anaya Bangar a pathway back into competitive women’s cricket, calling the development “absolutely ridiculous” and saying it “should not be allowed”. Kapp’s reaction came after Australian media reported that Cricket Australia (CA) had cleared Anaya, the daughter of former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, to return to competitive cricket under its Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players in Elite Cricket Policy. The decision has since become a major talking point in the cricketing world. Sharing a report on her Instagram, Kapp wrote: “Absolutely ridiculous. This should not be allowed.” Anaya underwent gender-affirming surgery in March this year and has now been given a pathway towards elite women’s cricket in Australia. Under CA’s decision, she can play community cricket in any state or territory of Australia until March 2027.

Marizanne Kapp's Instagram story

CA clears pathway for Anaya to return to competitive cricket

From March 2027, Anaya can become eligible for elite-level women’s cricket if she continues to meet the policy requirements, including the stipulated testosterone threshold. An expert panel comprising CA’s Head of Integrity Jacqui Partridge, Integrity Partner and Legal representative Emily Yates, Head of Scheduling, Operations and Domestic Cricket Peter Roach, Anti-Doping Medical Officer Dr Peter Harcourt and Team Doctor Dr Pip Inge considered Anaya’s case before confirming the pathway. “Under Cricket Australia's Policy, a player seeking to participate in the female category of Elite Cricket must establish that their serum testosterone concentration has been below 10 nmol/L continuously for a period of no less than 12 months,” CA said in an email to Anaya. The governing body added that, based on the medical information submitted, the requirement would be satisfied in March 2027. Her eligibility from that point will remain conditional on a blood test confirming that her testosterone level remains below 10 nmol/L and that she continues to meet the policy’s requirements. Anaya said the process was neither “automatic or informal” and that CA had considered her medical and surgical history, hormone and testosterone levels, cricketing background, playing footage and scientific and athletic performance work conducted with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport. She also revealed that her most recent blood test in July recorded total testosterone at 0.6 nanomoles, which she said was within the female reference range reported by the laboratory.

Anaya: ‘Eligibility is not selection’

For Anaya, however, the CA decision represents an opportunity rather than a guarantee of a place in elite cricket. “I want to make another point very clearly. Eligibility is not selection. Cricket Australia has given me a pathway, which does not mean that I have been given a place in a team. I still have to train, compete, perform and earn that opportunity,” she said. “I don't expect my history or my identity to earn me a place on a cricket team. I want my cricket to earn me a place on a cricket team,” she added. Anaya acknowledged the high standard of women’s cricket and the legitimate debate surrounding fairness and competitive integrity in women’s sport, but argued that inclusion and fairness need not be mutually exclusive.

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“This is why I respect the process Cricket Australia has followed in considering my case,” she said, adding that one of the most difficult possibilities she had faced after transitioning was that cricket might no longer have a place for her. She said she had spent years trying to find a way back and that CA’s decision had finally given her “a pathway to try”. Anaya’s pathway could eventually include an opportunity to pursue the Women’s Big Bash League, provided she meets the eligibility requirements in March 2027.

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