The 37-year-old, a six-time winner of the tournament, was due to be the fourth seed in the men's draw at the event.

Matthew, who has announced he retire from the sport at the end of the season, has been replaced in the main draw by Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Colombia.

Egypt's Tarek Momen takes Matthew's place as the fourth seed and will face a qualifier in the opening round.

Daryl Selby of England, the world number 17, moves up to the eighth-seeded position and is scheduled to play Australia's Cameron Pilley in his first round contest.

Matthew said he made the decision to pull out of the tournament, due to begin in London tomorrow, in order to focus on his preparations for next month's Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

"It’s with a heavy heart I’ve decided today to withdraw from the Canary Wharf Classic," he said.

"It is one of my favourite tournaments on the Tour, the atmosphere is second to none and I've always has a fantastic welcome in London, which has led to some memories to cherish on court.

"However, I felt an old hamstring injury resurface during the National Championships final and, with Chicago [the Windy City Open] last week, I haven’t had the necessary time to fully shake it off.

"With the Commonwealth Games in April fast approaching, I have been advised by my team to lean on the side of caution and make sure I’m fully recovered and prepared for the Gold Coast."

Egypt's world number one and top seed Mohamed El Shorbagy is the headline name in the draw.

The tournament will be the first ranking PSA World Tour event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the traditional best-of-five scoring.