England county Somerset have cancelled former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander's contract with the club by mutual consent due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Philander had played his final Test match for South Africa against England in January this year after announcing his retirement from international cricket.
He had signed a two-year deal with the county on a Kolpak registration, however, his contract has been cancelled with immediate effect.
Philander was originally slated to join the club in the month of April.
"These are clearly very uncertain and challenging times for all counties with no cricket until at least July 1 and the likelihood of a condensed and truncated season. It was such an exciting prospect to visualise Vernon returning to the Cooper Associates County Ground, but given the current uncertainty the cancellation of his contract was a prudent and sensible decision," Andy Hurry, the club's director of cricket said in an official statement.
"I would like to thank Vernon and his management team for their understanding of the current situation and we hope one day to see Vernon back wearing Somerset colours," he added.
All professional cricket in England and Wales has already been suspended until July 1 at the earliest due to the effects of the coronavirus.
Currently, all cricket action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year, England's two-match Test series against Sri Lanka was also postponed due to COVID-19.
( With inputs from ANI )
