Nottinghamshire’s pre-season tour to the UAE, which was set to commence on Monday 9 March, has been cancelled.

The club’s tour, which was due to feature white-ball and red-ball fixtures against fellow counties at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Abu Dhabi, will now not take place in light of the developing situation in Iran and the Middle East.

“The safety of our players and support staff is always our absolute priority – and given the current uncertainty around travel, logistics and security across the Gulf, we feel it is prudent to cancel next week’s tour,” said Director of Cricket Mick Newell.

“We are working on alternative plans to ensure our players can enjoy the preparation they need in these final weeks of pre-season.

“Our thoughts, of course, are with those affected by the conflict in the region.”

Updates on the club’s pre-season plans – and on The Blaze’s activities ahead of the start of the season – will be provided in due course. 

The remainder of England Men’s Lions tour in Abu Dhabi – which has featured Tom Moores and Liam Patterson-White – has also been cancelled, with the ECB currently working on bringing players and staff home from the Middle East.

A planned pre-World Cup training camp for England Women in the region, meanwhile, will no longer take place.