Coronavirus: Surrey cancels county contracts of Shadab Khan, D'Arcy Short

Surrey County Cricket Club has cancelled the contract of its overseas players namely Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan and Australian opener D' Arcy Short after mutually agreeing for the same for the upcoming 2020 season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had decided to further extend the suspension of professional cricket in the country until at least July 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic that has brought the entire world to standstill.

This means, the Vitality Blast--which was scheduled to begin at The Kia Oval on May 28--will be pushed as late in the season as possible in order to give it the best chance of being held in full.

In an official statement released by Surrey, the English county club said that Director of Cricket Alec Stewart spoke to Shadab and Short and decided to mutually terminate the contracts of the two players given the cancellation of all fixtures until at least July 1 due to COVID-19 pandemic and the current uncertainty surrounding the season beyond that date. 

“I would like to thank both Shadab & D’Arcy and their management companies for their understanding of the current situation and the impact these testing times are having on our game," Kia Oval official website quoted Stewart as saying.

“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.," he concluded.

The ECB had initially postponed professional cricket in the country until at least May 28 in the wake of coronavirus crises.