Derbyshire postpone overseas signings Ben McDermott and Sean Abbott to 2021 season

The Australian international pair had been set to join the Falcons for the T20 Blast campaign as well as Royal London Cup and County Championship cricket respectively

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Derbyshire have become the latest county to call off overseas signings ahead of the 2020 season.

Sean Abbott, the Australian paceman, had been lined up to make his county debut with the club with appearances in 10 County Championship fixtures as well as the T20 Blast, while compatriot Ben McDermott was also set to join for both white-ball competitions.

However, continued uncertainty around the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on both the fixture list and county finances has forced the Falcons to instead defer both of these contracts to the 2021 campaign.

The move brings the total number of cancelled stints to six, following last week's news that Surrey and Hampshire had scrapped plans to bring in Australian red-ball specialists Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon respectively.

India's Cheteshwar Pujara and New Zealander Matt Henry have also since had their contracts sidelined, with both players having been set to complete their stays before the May 28 date the ECB has announced as the earliest possible start to a delayed season.

Derbyshire chief executive Ryan Duckett said: "These are unprecedented times and following the postponement of cricket until at least May 28, and the full impact of the current situation yet to be determined, we need to be mindful of our cricket budget in 2020.

"We will keep our options open for this summer, depending on the amount of cricket we are able to play, however we must all now focus on the current challenges across the sport.

"I would like to thank Sean and Ben, as well as their representatives, for their understanding and commitment to playing a big part for Derbyshire and I look forward to welcoming them to The Incora County Ground next summer."

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