Surrey cancel contracts of Shadab Khan and D'Arcy Short

[Nergal]

 

 

Shadab Khan had signed with Surrey for the T20 Blast. © Getty

Following the postponement of the T20 Blast in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Surrey has cancelled the contracts of their overseas players - D'Arcy Short and Shadab Khan.

"Given the postponement of [the Blast] and the current uncertainty around the makeup of the domestic season ... it was mutually agreed that the players' contracts would be cancelled," Surrey said in a statement.

Both players were also set to play in the inaugural season of the Hundred, which has been postponed to 2021. Alec Stewart, Surrey's director of cricket, said: "I would like to thank both Shadab and D'Arcy and their management companies for their understanding of the current situation and the impact these testing times are having on our game.

"While we continue to prepare for cricket at The Kia Oval this summer, uncertainties around restrictions and scheduling across the world and here in the UK means this is the most sensible decision for both the players and the club for now."

All professional cricket in England and Wales before July 1 had been called off due to the pandemic. Surrey had previously also cancelled Michael Neser's contract with the club after the first seven rounds of the County Championship were suspended.

Several counties have been forced to terminate contracts of players because of COVID-19 while Essex decided to push Peter Siddle's contract to 2021. R Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran and Keshav Maharaj lost their contracts with Yorkshire while Nathan Lyon, BJ Watling, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner and Matt Henry are some of the overseas signings who have had their contracts cancelled.