Over the course of the early part of the series against India, we in the press box have been delighted to reacquaint ourselves with an Australian writer on cricket. We first met Catherine McGregor, or Cate as we know her, during last summer’s Ashes tour, and again at times during the rather more torrid one in Australia.

Now she was back over again, for a shorter stay, penning some things for the Australian Financial Review, and mixing it with what we might call the day job, in which, as a group captain in the Royal Australian Air Force, she was doing something or other at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall.

She lives a pretty full life does Cate, which as well as the military and writing about cricket, also extends to coaching and indeed playing the game: as a strong representative for the women’s game (senior delegate for women’s cricket in the armed services); and last seen by us in the indoor school at Lord’s only a few weeks ago. Along with Greg Chappell and John Inverarity, she helps select the Australian prime minister’s sides, as his representative, that play touring teams.

I am mentioning this, which at first glance could be tucked away in the file marked “so what”, because of the story that emerged over the weekend of Kellie Maloney, the boxing promoter and manager, who, in a former existence as Frank Maloney, helped guide Lennox Lewis to his heavyweight championship titles.

It was not a story I followed particularly closely, but I was struck by a television debate I stumbled upon, centred around how the world of boxing in particular would react to someone within their own particularly macho circle (the terrific Nicola Adams notwithstanding) who is undergoing gender reassignment from male to female. Would the sport distance itself or embrace someone of considerable courage? From what I could see, the response, generally understanding and compassionate, did the sport credit, and although there are sure to be those who take an alternative view, she will be welcomed as before.

Back to Cate then. She is transgender, several years further down the road than Kellie, first diagnosed by a psychologist almost two decades ago. Once, she was lieutenant colonel Malcolm McGregor, a member of the army and in particular the speech writer for lieutenant general David Morrison, the head of the Australian armed forces. In undergoing transition she risked her career but instead received a positive response, with Morrison refusing to accept her resignation, and is now the most senior of half-a-dozen transgender people in the Australian defence forces. Famously, since transition, she penned brilliant speeches for Morrison on the subject of gender equality and tolerance within the armed forces, the second delivered only two months ago at a conference in London. Her switch to the air force came about not long before she came to England this summer.

It was Cate’s acceptance into our cynical, often biting, environment that I found both pleasing and instructive, although maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, for in my experience cricket has always been a game that on the whole takes people for who, rather than what, they are.

But that is seeing things from our perspective, an easy view to take, and surely we would be a pushover compared to the forces. I did wonder, though, how much strength of character it took even to walk into our environment as a transgender person. The decision to transition in itself surely required great strength of character and a huge amount of anguish, but that would only be the start of things. So, wondering what might have been going through Maloney’s mind now, I asked Cate how she had been received in our sport.

“I transitioned into two very alpha-male environments, the army and cricket,” she said. “I have been humbled and thrilled at the generous reception I have received from the global cricket community.” She told me of the early important support she had received from senior, iconic figures in cricket, such as the Chappell brothers, Ian (of whom she does a wicked earthy impression) and Greg; Brett Lee; and, in particular, Rahul Dravid, since announcing her transition in 2012. “All I did,” Greg Chappell tells me, “was to respect her choices, and treat her as a person, without being judgmental.”

“Ian and Greg have been incredibly supportive in a business-like, unassuming way,” Cate acknowledged, “and the leadership of the Australian and England cricket teams have made it clear to me that I was welcome as a respected member of the media team.” She tells of hearing about the Australian captain sitting his team down and, just in case there were any who might feel otherwise, insisting that she be treated with respect.

“The message of support from Rahul was wise, gracious and inspiring and made an enormous impact on me. But the support of all my media colleagues has been amazing and a source of joy. Since my announcement I have not had a single bad experience as a commentator or coach or player.”

Only the online trolls who once bothered her in fact, and these she bats away as if, as she puts it, it was Dravid not reacting to sledging. It is how it should be.