Chris Adams has said that Mushtaq Ahmed would not have signed for the unauthorised Indian Cricket League if he thought it would cost him his Sussex place.

"Knowing Mushy I can categorically say that if he knew he was going to be banned from playing for Sussex he would not have joined the ICL,” Adams told the Argus newspaper. "This is his second home now. He has played for Sussex for longer than any other team and he would not have put his Sussex career in jeopardy.”

Adams admitted that the county might have to look for a last-minute replacement for Mushtaq. "That's the worst-case scenario and we hope something can be sorted out before then … but I find it hard to understand why it has taken ECB so long to come up with this ruling with regards overseas players when the ICL has already been up and running since October."

Murray Goodwin has also been recruited for the ICL on a two-year contract but as a Kolpak registration, he will not be barred.