The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is being criticised by fans and activists after featuring Pride-themed stumps during the first Test between India and England at Headingley, while excluding transgender women from women’s cricket.
Among the most vocal critics was Anaya Bangar, daughter of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar and a trans woman aiming to represent India. Bangar posted a video on Instagram sharply criticizing the ECB’s use of rainbow-colored stumps, calling it empty symbolism in the face of exclusionary policy.
“What is this performative allyship that ECB has going on?” she asked in the video.
In the caption, Bangar elaborated on the contradiction, saying, “On Day 2 of the India vs England Test Match, there were Pride flags on the stumps while at the same time: The UK Supreme Court rolled back trans women’s rights from the Equality Act. 🚫 The ECB banned trans women from not just elite, but even professional cricket. So who is this inclusivity really for? You can’t celebrate Pride while erasing trans women from the sport. This is not inclusion. It’s performative allyship. And the hypocrisy is too loud to ignore.”
ECB’s new policy excludes transgender women from all women’s competitions, in line with most governing bodies
Just weeks before the Test match, the ECB had implemented a sweeping change to its eligibility policy following a UK Supreme Court ruling. In a press release, the board announced:
“With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches. Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket.”
Despite the criticism, the ECB maintained that its aim was still to promote inclusivity within the sport, adding, “We will work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support people impacted by this change in our regulations.”
Other athletic governing organisations have taken positions similar to the ECB’s, most notably the NCAA in the USA, in response to the controversy around transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
A flashpoint in cricket’s ongoing inclusivity debate
The contrast between Pride support and transgender participation rules has reignited discussions around genuine inclusion in sport. With voices like Bangar’s amplifying the disconnect, the ECB’s actions during Pride Month have sharpened focus around broader issues around LGBTQ+ representation and rights in cricket.
This latest controversy adds to the growing scrutiny over how sporting bodies balance inclusion with regulation—and how symbolism is interpreted by marginalized communities.
