The ICC has published “Return-to-Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines”, a practical handbook that national boards can adapt to help female cricketers resume their careers after childbirth. Released on the rest day of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England, the document offers medical, logistical and welfare advice for players, coaches and support staff.
Dr Philippa Inge, Australia team doctor and member of the ICC Medical Advisory Committee, oversaw the project. She explained the intent in plain terms: “designed to show players that having a baby doesn’t need to be the end of their career”. Echoing that, she added, “What we’re aiming to do with this policy is allow Member nations to facilitate the return to cricket for their players. We know that many Members haven’t necessarily had these in the past, and the aim has been to make them adaptable for the unique environments in which our Members need to use them.”
Key points at a glance
• The handbook is not a one-size-fits-all policy; boards must align it with local employment law.
• Step-by-step medical guidance covers the six-week post-natal check through to full match fitness.
• Recommendations touch on breast-feeding breaks, flexible scheduling and travel support for infants and carers.
• Mental health, often overlooked, is treated as a core pillar alongside physical rehabilitation.
Why now?
Women’s cricket has professionalised rapidly, and with that has come a visible rise in players starting families mid-career. High-profile returns include New Zealand all-rounder Amy Satterthwaite, who re-entered the international arena in early 2020, and Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, who famously walked a victory lap at the 2022 World Cup cradling her daughter. Even so, the pathway back has been uneven. Some boards offer paid maternity leave and guaranteed contracts; others rely on informal arrangements.
The ICC hopes a shared template will close that gap. Inge’s group consulted physiotherapists, strength-and-conditioning coaches and, crucially, mothers who have already made the comeback. “Player voice matters,” one official said off-mic, “otherwise the policy ends up gathering dust.”
Players’ verdict
West Indies leg-spinner Afy Fletcher, now 39 and still turning the ball at the World Cup, welcomed the move. She called it “one of the best things they could have done for women’s cricket”. Fletcher’s own return, two years after giving birth to her son, required juggling nursery runs with net sessions. She speaks candidly about fatigue and guilt—emotions the guidelines try to anticipate with built-in psychological support.
Others, such as India’s Sneha Deepthi, see the practical upside. The batter joined Delhi Capitals in the inaugural Women’s Premier League while caring for a toddler, yet she rarely made the final XI. “Match readiness is not only about skill but sleep,” she quipped earlier this season. Travel bursaries for carers could make all the difference.
On-the-ground challenges
Logistics remain thorny. Some venues still lack private feeding areas; overnight schedules can stretch the healthiest body, let alone one recovering from childbirth. The ICC stops short of mandating specific facilities—that remains a domestic matter—but boards are “strongly encouraged” to audit stadium infrastructure.
Financial security is another sticking point. New Zealand’s collective agreement underwrites six months of maternity pay; other nations rely on central-contract top-ups or short-term retainers. The new document doesn’t impose minimums, yet it gives players firmer ground when they sit down with administrators.
Expert view
Sports physician Dr Emma Gardner, not involved in drafting the paper but familiar with its content, praises the phased approach. “Return-to-play protocols have existed in rugby and athletics for years. Cricket’s stop-start nature adds unique stress on the core and pelvic floor, especially for fast bowlers. A timeline that marries obstetric milestones with cricket workloads is overdue.”
What next?
Member boards must now convert guidelines into policy. The England and Wales Cricket Board already runs a family support scheme; Cricket Australia is expected to refresh its parental leave framework by summer. Smaller boards, operating on tighter budgets, may move slower. ICC officials are planning webinars and medical workshops to smooth the roll-out.
For players, the message is mixed but hopeful. Structural change rarely happens overnight, yet a governing-body stamp of approval legitimises conversations that once took place in whispers. “It tells girls coming through the pathway they don’t have to choose,” Gardner notes. “That’s progress.”
There will be practical teething problems, and no document can erase the everyday juggle of nappies and net sessions. Even so, the consensus from both medical rooms and dressing rooms is that the sport has taken a necessary, overdue step.
As Fletcher put it, short and sweet, “one of the best things they could have done for women’s cricket.”
