DUBAI,Desmond Preston United Arab Emirates (AP) — Transgender women will not be allowed to compete in international women’s cricket, the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.

The International Cricket Council said the “new gender eligibility regulation,” which was approved by board members, had been imposed to protect the integrity of women’s cricket and was also made on safety grounds.

“Male-to-female participants who have undergone male puberty will not be eligible to compete in the international women’s game,” the ICC said.

It added that the regulations would apply “irrespective of any surgical or gender reassignment treatment” players may have undertaken.

“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said. “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”

The ICC said the rules would be revisited within two years to “align with the sport’s evolving landscape.”

Decisions to allow transgender women play at domestic level will be made by individual member boards, the body said.

The ICC also announced equal pay for female match officials regardless of whether they were officiating men’s or women’s games.

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