Kent cancel Matt Henry overseas deal due to coronavirus crisis

Surrey, Hampshire and Gloucestershire have all made similar moves with agreements that were in place for Australians Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon, as well as India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara

Matt Henry’s stint at Kent has been mutually cancelled as a result of the global coronavirus crisis.

The New Zealand seamer made a major impact during a stint at Canterbury in 2018, claiming 75 wickets in 11 matches at a remarkable average of 15.48 and had been due to represent the club in the first seven County Championship games of the upcoming season.

However, that deal has now been withdrawn, given the pandemic and the disruption to the start time of the county campaign. No professional cricket is to be played in England and Wales before May 28 at the earliest – a suspension that includes the first seven rounds of Championship fixtures.

Surrey, Hampshire and Gloucestershire have all made similar moves with agreements that were in place for Australians Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon, as well as India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

Ian Bell: A timeless classic

Kent’s director of cricket, Paul Downton, said: “Once the decision was announced by the ECB that there would be no cricket until at least the end of May it became inevitable the Matt would not be returning to Kent this season.

“The club continues to enjoy a good relationship with Matt. He has many friends here and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received when we announced the he would return in 2020 is a measure of Matt himself: he’s a fantastic person on and off the cricket field.

“We’d like to thank Matt for his understanding in difficult circumstances. Hopefully another opportunity will arise in the near future which will allow him to join us once again.”