London, May 5 (IANS): The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cancelled the contracts of the players who were due to participate in the now suspended 'The Hundred' competition.

Last week, the ECB had postponed the inaugural edition of 'The Hundred' -- a new 100-balls-per-side format to be played by eight teams in separate men's and women's tournaments -- to next year.

The teams had selected their squads in a draft last October, while the women's teams were in the process of completing their squads.

However, now with the delay, the board has sent players a letter to inform them of the decision about the termination of the contracts.

"We can confirm that a letter terminating current player contracts has been issued today to all involved," BBC Sport quoted ECB as saying in a statement.

"This letter is necessary paperwork to legally update and inform players of the situation, which follows a notification last week around the launch of the new competition being moved to 2021.

"We are working closely with PCA on a number of options for players regarding next year's launch," the statement added.

All professional cricketing activities already remain suspended in England and Wales till July 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has thus far claimed more than 2.4 lakh lives worldwide.