English county side Leicestershire have been forced to cancel the contract of Proteas batsman Janneman Malan due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement, Leicestershire, together with Malan and the player's representative, tried everything to get the 24-year-old to play in the T20 Blast this season, namely travel logistics and a 14-day quarantine period, but it was just not possible.

It has now been agreed that the Cape Cobras batsman will try to secure a deal with the same English county for the 2021 season.

Leicestershire chief executive Sean Jarvis said: "We exhausted every avenue in trying to get Janneman into the country but issues out of our control have gone against us on this occasion.

"It is a big blow for us because everyone was looking forward to Janneman playing for us.

"We would love to see Janneman become a Running Fox in the future and wish him the best over the next few months."

Malan made his ODI debut for the Proteas earlier this year, smashing an unbeaten 129 against Australia in just his second game in Bloemfontein.

The right-handed batsman is part of the Proteas culture camp that started on Tuesday until Saturday in Skukuza.

- TEAMtalk media