Lancashire terminate overseas contracts as players agree 20 per cent salary reduction

New Zealand's Watling was due to feature in the first nine fixtures of the County Championship campaign while Maxwell and Faulkner were both set to return to Old Trafford for the T20 Blast

Lancashire have announced the mutual termination of the club’s 2020 overseas players, BJ Watling, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner.

New Zealand’s Watling was due to feature in the first nine fixtures of the County Championship campaign while Maxwell and Faulkner were both set to return to Old Trafford for the summer’s T20 Blast competition.

With the coronavirus pandemic suspending the season indefinitely, Lancashire’s director of cricket, Paul Allott contacted the three players who mutually agreed to cancel their summer contracts.

Allott, said: “I would like to thank BJ, Glenn, James and their representatives for their total understanding of the current situation and full agreement of this decision.

“We were all looking forward to welcoming BJ Watling to Emirates Old Trafford for the majority of our Specsavers County Championship campaign, whilst welcoming Glenn and James back to the club for our Vitality Blast campaign.

“These are clearly very uncertain and challenging times for all counties both financially and operationally and it’s clear the issues we face at the moment will have an impact on the way we prepare for the domestic season. The overseas player situation is a policy that has been discussed nationwide and we think it’s prudent to mutually come to an agreement with the players we had originally signed.

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“We will keep in touch with the players and their representatives, and as part of the agreement we’ve come to, we do have an option to sign them for the 2021 campaign.

“Clearly, we are looking at a condensed and truncated season, and whilst it is of course disappointing not to have any overseas players at our disposal, it does mean that we will be able to give our young, and homegrown players increased opportunities.”

Furthermore the county has revealed its playing staff are to take a 20 per cent wage reduction for the month of May - a decision which has been agreed to unanimously by the players.

“I would also like to thank the current Lancashire squad for agreeing to a 20% salary reduction for the month of May,” said Allott.

“The players were very keen that any salary reductions for them should be in line with the rest of the club’s staff. It has truly been a unified approach to what is a very difficult situation we currently find ourselves in.

“We have been really pleased with the application shown by the players over the past month in what is a completely unprecedented situation. What has impressed me most is their willingness to get involved and help out in any way they can whether it be calling our older members and creating content for the club’s digital channels.”

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