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In a significant and much-needed move, the International Cricket Council (ICC), led by Jay Shah, has set a new policy under which women will be able to return to elite cricket after childbirth. ICC has launched its 'Return to Play Post-Pregnancy', exclusively for female cricketers.
Now, with the help of the initiative, female cricketers of the full members in the Council will be able to resume their careers after a break because of pregnancy. To design the policy, the Council has assigned a dedicated case manager, who helps ICC shape the guidelines by discussing the matter with all possible parties related to this.
What is the aim of the policy?
"To support a safe and sustainable return to cricket, the Guidelines outline the 6 Rs framework: Ready, Review, Restore, Recondition, Return, and Refine. The approach covers early recovery after birth, medical and well-being reviews, gradual return to structured training, cricket-specific conditioning, return to play, and ongoing monitoring once a player is back in the cricket environment," the International Cricket Council mentions in the official press release on Monday, June 22.
ICC Medical Advisory Committee member, and Australia Team Doctor, Dr. Philippa Inge, carried the responsibility to design the module. According to the policy, the Council will support the female cricketer throughout her pregnancy to her earliest stage for child care.
How will the Council help the cricketers through the policy?
"The ICC’s Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines are designed to show players that having a baby doesn't need to be the end of their career, and what we're aiming to do with this policy is allow Member nations to facilitate the return to cricket for their players," Dr. Inge said.
"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. The guidelines serve as a template for Members, and strong support for an athlete returning to cricket post-pregnancy needs to be individualised to the specific needs of them and their family," she added.
Why does ICC introduce the Return to Play Post-Pregnancy policy?
In the same press release, a spokesperson of the Council mentioned that environments around the cricketers are necessary for the growth of women's cricket. The Return to Play Post-Pregnancy policy reflects the Council's will to enhance women's cricket across the globe.
"The growth of women’s cricket must be matched by the environments we create around our players, and the ICC’s Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines are an important step in supporting female cricketers through every stage of their careers," the spokesperson said.
“Motherhood and elite cricket should not be seen as mutually exclusive. By providing clear, practical and player-centred guidance, we want to help Member Boards support informed choices, protect player welfare and retain more outstanding talent in the game," the source further mentioned.
It is worth mentioning that the introduction of the policy has been made during the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup. This initiative will definitely help the women's cricketers in the future.
