SEAN Ervine looks destined to leave Hampshire at the end of the season after being left out of the squad for tomorrow’s must-win Vitality Blast clash at Somerset.

Ervine, 35, has not played a T20 game all season, despite Hampshire’s worst start to the competition since the format was first introduced.

He has now been left out of Hampshire’s squad entirely for the trip to Taunton.

Ervine is not injured and his omission comes five days after he revealed his frustration on social media.

When former Essex cricketer Greg Smith tweeted ‘how you don’t make this side I’ll never know!!’, following the televised collapse at Lord’s, Ervine responded: 

Since scoring an unbeaten 65 in the pre-season friendly against Cardiff MCCU, the Zimbabwean has only played one first-team game all season.

Ervine’s form is not the issue.

He captained Hampshire II to the brink of the Second XI T20 semi-finals with scores of 57, 115no, 6, 42, 83no, 53 in his last six matches.

But he was replaced in that team to give current first-teamers time in the middle ahead of today’s game, following the abandonment of Sunday’s fixture against Sussex at Hove.

Hampshire began the Vitality Blast with the emphasis on youth, giving opportunities to younger homegrown players.

After only win from their first seven group games, needing six from their last seven to qualify, they are continuing to do without one of their most experienced players.

Jimmy Adams, who is also out of contract at the end of the season, has long been jettisoned from Hampshire’s T20 plans and now one of the county’s other match-winners has been dispensed with when it seems they need him most.

Hampshire have given no reason for Ervine’s omission, with no mention of it in the official preview on the club’s official website, which simply states the following 15-man squad has been selected for tomorrow’s fixture: Munro, McManus, Wood, Rossouw, Northeast, Weatherley, Berg, Stevenson, Vince, Dawson, Alsop, Abbott, Edwards, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lintott.