Cricket Australia has announced new guidelines for inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse people in community and elite cricket, which will give transgender players a path towards eligibility to play for Australia.

Key points: Cricket Australia has introduced new guidelines to allow for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in community and elite cricket

Cricket Australia has introduced new guidelines to allow for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in community and elite cricket Prospective elite cricketers must nominate their gender identity to CA and prove they have less than 10 nanomoles per litre of testosterone continuously for 12 months prior to nomination

Prospective elite cricketers must nominate their gender identity to CA and prove they have less than 10 nanomoles per litre of testosterone continuously for 12 months prior to nomination A transgender cricketer who meets the new guidelines could play in the women's national team, but not for at least 12 months

The guidelines could see a transgender player with appropriate testosterone levels playing for state or national women's teams.

The player must nominate their gender identity to Cricket Australia's head of integrity and demonstrate that their elected gender is consistent with their everyday life.

They must also prove they have a concentration of testosterone of less than 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months prior to nomination.

Balancing sporting inclusion with biological differences is a difficult issue, but Australia captain Alex Blackwell wants more transgender cricketers in the game at all levels.

Loading

"I benefited so much from sport in elite teams [and] I don't think trans and gender diverse people should be excluded from that," Blackwell said.

"I'd love to see more transgender people engaging in sport, I've probably had more involvement with transgender sport people than most."

The new guidelines are consistent with the International Olympic Committee guidelines, while the AFL's policy has a limit of 5 nanomoles per litre.

"Ninety-eight per cent of women have under 2 nanomoles of testosterone," Australian Institute of Sport chief medical officer David Hughes said.

"For men, the amount averages between 7.7 and 29 nanomoles. In sports that involve power and endurance testosterone gives players an 8-12 per cent advantage."

Cricket Australia has drafted the guidelines in line with the International Cricket Council's gender recognition policy, which applies to transgender players participating in international cricket.

Cricket experience 'life-changing' for Erica James

Transgender cricketer Erica James only took the game again up three years ago after a gap of 26 years. ( Supplied: Cricket Australia )

Transgender cricketer Erica James has been playing in the Universities women's cricket club first-grade team in Sydney alongside Blackwell since 2016.

For the 44-year-old, the experience has been life-changing.

"There's a sense of team when you're out on the field, you celebrate the wins together, you commemorate the losses, it's like a community — I really feel like I've found my tribe — finding a club I can belong to," she said.

Born a male, she began taking female hormones two months before she started playing cricket again in September 2016, after staying away from sport for almost three decades.

"I played cricket in primary school — I didn't want to play in a team of boys, because I knew that I wasn't one — I quit team sports as soon as I could," she said.

"Before this club, the last cricket game I played was 1989.

"Between 15 and 41 I didn't play any sport, I didn't want to be out in the world, I didn't want to pretend to be a boy all the time so I locked myself away from the world.

"When I came out and started living as a woman I remembered how much I loved cricket, I scored my first century last season which was an amazing moment, I cried."

Erica James says she feels like she's found her "tribe" at the Universities women's cricket club in Sydney. ( Supplied: Universities Women's cricket club )

When she started looking to join a team, the minimum she sought was a team that would tolerate her, but her reception on the field has been more welcoming.

"I don't like that I have to say surprisingly positive but it was a surprise — I was expecting to be sledged, to have nasty comments thrown at me for being a boy, but I haven't had any of that at all," she said.

"My teammates were totally accepting and appreciate me for my energy and what I bring to the team, no one is weird that I have different biological features — I am just one of the girls.

"As far as I know other teams have been fine with it as well."

James will have to prove her testosterone levels are within the new requirements but she said she did not have any advantage over other players.

"I am not the strongest player in the club, not even close, there is no unfair advantage at all," she said.

"I have as close to zero nanomoles as you can have — from taking hormones I have less testosterone in me that anyone in my club."

Blackwell confident players are ready for new guidelines

Having played at the international level for over 15 years, Blackwell was adamant other female cricketers would not have an issue with it.

"The Australian women's cricket team were consulted, they on the whole, were incredibly supportive of what CA was doing [in] generating these guidelines," she said.

"There needs to be a process and that those people are appropriately supported in — so we can be confident the players are ready for this and confident in the process and our community is increasingly ready to see sports follow through.

"The policy recognises that at the elite level there has to be additional criteria to ensure a fair and safe and meaningful competition at the top level."

Associate Professor of Sport Management at the University of Technology Sydney Daryl Adair said all sporting organisations needed to take a lead in this evolving space, describing it as "a continual learning process".

"My sense is that that space may be changing, and the rumour mill has it that the IOC is probably going to reduce that testosterone limit to 5 nanomoles," Dr Adair said.

"That will still allow transgender individuals to compete — it will just be a different compliance measure."

He said such guidelines were vital to create pathways for inclusion for a sector of the community that is often vilified.

"Trans and gender-diverse individuals have suffered from misunderstandings and demonisation and have mental health challenges, and certainly suicide rates for transgender people are substantial," he said.

"So this is a clear statement about welcoming all Australians into cricket."

If there was to be a transgender player in the Australian women's cricket team it wouldn't be for another year under new guidelines.

The 12-month period for proof of appropriate testosterone levels starts now.