Derbyshire Falcons out of T20 Blast after final two North Group matches are cancelled

The ECB have ruled the club are "unable to field a team of a strength appropriate to maintain the integrity" of their matches against Northamptonshire and Yorkshire

Derbyshire v Essex abandoned after positive Covid-19 case

Derbyshire have effectively pulled out of the T20 Blast after their final two group matches were cancelled owing to the lack of availability of players.

The Falcons were due to play Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road (Friday, July 16) and Yorkshire Vikings at the County Ground (Sunday, July 18) and still had an outside chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

But the ECB have ruled the club are "unable to field a team of a strength appropriate to maintain the integrity" of the matches.

The order of teams in the North Group will now be determined on an 'average points per completed match' basis.

Alongside six injures, Derbyshire currently have 14 players self-isolating after they were deemed close contacts of an unnamed teammate who tested positive for Covid-19.

The development led to the abandonment of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Essex after just one day of play.

The points allocation for that match has now been confirmed, with it being treated as a draw. Both sides have been award eight points alongside the bonus points they had accrued before the game was curtailed.

Rules regarding self-isolation have hurt several counties already this season. Kent have 17 players out of action, while Sussex and Durham have both lost swathes of their respective squads.

Derbyshire are next in action on July 22 when they travel to Grace Road to face Leicestershire in their One-Day Cup opener, a competition which is running concurrently with the inaugural edition of The Hundred.