Players set to play in the inaugural series of The Hundred this summer have had their contracts terminated by the England and Wales Cricket Board after the event was postponed until 2021.

A letter from the ECB was sent to the players from the eight men's and eight women's teams to inform them of the decision.

Squads for the men's sides had been decided in an NFL-style draft in October, while names were still being finalised for the women's squads.

A statement from the ECB said: "We can confirm that a letter terminating current player contracts has been issued today to all involved.

“This letter follows a notification last week around the launch of the new competition being moved to 2021.”

The new 100-ball competition was originally due to begin on July 17 and run until August 15, but following lengthy discussions, it was decided on Thursday that it would not be wise to go ahead with the series and it was postponed until next year.