MARTYN Moxon admits Yorkshire are caught between an overseas rock and a hard place with regards to Peter Handscomb's availability and sourcing a potential replacement.

The contractual dispute threatening the short-term future of Australian cricket is having a knock-on effect on the white-rose county.

Handscomb has been selected in Australia's squad for their two-Test tour of Bangladesh late next month and into September, but that tour is not certain to go ahead given all of Australia's top stars and more besides are unemployed having not accepted Cricket Australia's terms of contract.

It is a row which has even put the Ashes in jeopardy later this year.

As for Yorkshire, they have been left scratching their heads with regards to filling the spot which Handscomb currently has for the second half of the NatWest T20 Blast.

Handscomb is scheduled to leave after Sunday's Blast clash with Notts at Trent Bridge ahead of a training camp back in Australia.

Do Yorkshire bide their time and hope Handscomb stays or do they move to release the Aussie and bring in a replacement, understood to be Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who would play in T20 cricket only?

The latter option would seem to be the only way Yorkshire could guarantee definitely having two overseas players at their disposal.

Shaun Marsh would take Handscomb's place in the Championship if needed.

Whatever happens, we should know this week.

"Pete's desperately trying to find out what's happening, and at some point soon, over the next few days, we are going to have to make a decision as to what we are going to do," said Moxon, Yorkshire's director of cricket.

"Pete's due to be leaving us after next Sunday. Over the next couple of days, it's going to have to come to a head.

"Given his situation, it's particularly frustrating for us.

"I'm not aware that there's any other player in the tour party that it affects like this.

"It's certainly not ideal for Cricket Australia to be in this situation either.

"We could do with knowing one way or the other.

"If Pete goes to Bangladesh, Shaun will take over the four-day duties until the end of the season, but our problem and Pete's problem is that he's due to leave after next Sunday's game.

"The idea is that he has some time at home before he has to go to the training camp.

"If we are going to bring somebody in, we've got to do it next week. We're running out of time."