Spin twin Ravichandran Ashwin and Keshav Maharaj were supposed to split their duties for County club Yorkshire. However, the coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of contracts. Apart from them, West Indies cricketer Nicholas Pooran’s contract has also been terminated on mutual consent.
Ashwin had earlier turned out for Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire in the County circuit. He was supposed to play in the major chunk of the championship as he is not in the scheme of things for India in limited-overs cricket. However, the trio has been the latest casualty in the growing list of terminated contracts.
Yorkshire terminate contracts on mutual consent:
Pooran was set to re-group with the players for the T20 Blast. The southpaw had played for the club thrice last season. Maharaj, on the other hand, first supposed to play in the first two games of the County Championship before making way for Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Keshav Maharaj, Nicholas Pooran lose out on their respective stints with Yorkshire:
All competitive cricket in England and Wales has been suspended until July 1 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Clubs and cricket boards have been facing a hard time as a lot of money has been at stake.
“I really appreciate the players’ understanding in this matter,” said Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket. We have been in regular contact with the players and their agents throughout this Covid pandemic. They have been extremely professional and appreciate the uncertainty facing counties at present. We hope that we will be able to see them at Emerald Headingley in the future.”
Earlier, India batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s stint with Gloucestershire didn’t see the daylight due to the pandemic. Pujara was set to play six of the County Championship games. He would have become the first Indian player to represent the club since former pacer Javagal Srinath in 1995.