Mohammad Nabi’s Kent contract withdrawn amid coronavirus pandemic

Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan veteran, had his contract terminated for the T20 Blast in England. The 35-year-old’s contract for Kent Spitfires was cancelled after a mutual agreement and the decision had to be taken in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The ICC’s number one ranked all-rounder played nine matches for Kent in the previous edition of the tournament.

There he notched 147 runs and picked up eight wickets. From his very first match against Somerset, he showed his worth. Nabi scored a quickfire 34 with the help of four sixes at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence. He also took a stunning catch at the boundary. For the time being, the COVID-19 has made a mockery of cricket tournaments over the past couple of months or so.

Mohammad Nabi was very popular amongst the squad, says Downtown

“There was a lot of excitement around Nabi returning as a Kent Spitfire in 2020, but unfortunately the uncertainty around the cricket schedule during this current crisis means that this isn’t possible this year,” Paul Downton, Kent’s Director of Cricket, was quoted as saying in Indian Express.

“He was very popular amongst the squad, staff and supporters here last season and it was great to bring his experience to the Club first time around. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for Nabi to join us again in the near future,” he added.

Earlier this month, Surrey cancelled Shadab Khan and D’Arcy Short’s contract after the T20 Blast was postponed. It was scheduled to start on May 28, but after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that there won’t be any professional cricket until August 1, it had to be deferred.

Yorkshire, Lancashire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire are among the other counties to have their contracts cancelled. India’s Ravi Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara along with West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran’s contracts had to be withdrawn as well. The inaugural edition of The Hundred had to be postponed until 2021 due to the ungodly virus.

Moeen Ali, who was appointed as the skipper of the Birmingham Phoenix, supported the decision by the England board. In the United Kingdom (UK), there have been over 2,71,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with over 38,160 people losing their lives.