‘Transgender rules can’t stop me – I’m eligible for

Top-scoring cricketer says she’s available for England, writes Elizabeth Ammon.

Transgender cricketer Maxine Blythin says her ambition is to play for England and that she is eligible to do so.

Blythin, 24, enjoyed a prolific first season for Kent, where she was named player-of-the-year after scoring 340 runs with a top score of 51 not out in 13 matches across all formats of the game. Her form raises the possibility of an England call-up.

Under the ECB’s transinclusion policy, anyone who identifies as a woman can play women’s county or recreational cricket. However, international cricket falls under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) policy, which requires trans women to have a signed declaration of gender identity, and for them to show they have testosterone concentration below a specified level for 12 months.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Blythin said her circumstances meant that if she were called up for England, that requirement would not apply to her because her testosterone levels are naturally low.

Blythin was born male and transitioned in her teenage years, taking the hormones necessary to fulfil a female puberty, having experienced gender dysphoria – where distress is caused by a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity – and the effects of her biological condition.

‘‘I was born with a condition that meant I never had any real levels of testosterone, which mean I never went through any form of male puberty,’’ she said. ‘‘That condition means I am eligible to play women’s sport at any level, in any sport. A lot of the debate that has been going on around this doesn’t actually apply to myself.

‘‘If I was invited to [play for England], it would be the biggest privilege of my life. I’m not expecting it, but I would 100 per

‘That condition means I am eligible to play women’s sport at any level, in any sport. A lot of the debate that has been going on around this doesn’t actually apply to myself.’’ Maxine Blythin

cent say yes.’’ Blythin, who was speaking to Sky’s Sportswomen programme last week, has regularly been at the centre of discussions about transgender cricketers, but she says much of the debate has been based on a misunderstanding. ‘‘Due to my profile as a women’s county cricket player, I have been unwillingly used as a case study in reports – often inaccurate – discussing transgender inclusion in sport,’’ she said. ‘‘While this is