No English counties in Champions League Twenty20

English county teams will not play in the Champions League Twenty20 this year because the tournament dates - September 10 to 26 - clashes with the end of England's domestic season.

The ECB conveyed its decision in a memo circulated to the counties, saying it was "with great regret" that the Friends Provident T20 finalists would be unable to participate in the lucrative tournament in South Africa, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

The participation of teams from England had been put in doubt after it emerged that the schedule, announced in February, would clash with crucial fixtures at the end of the English season, which runs until September 16. England will be playing Pakistan in an ODI series at the time, the final two rounds of the County Championship will be on, as well as the semi-finals and final of the ECB40 competition.

The ECB had already tweaked its domestic calendar to accommodate the Champions League, which was originally scheduled for October, but the tournament was brought forward to accommodate India's home series against Australia. The board said that counties would be able to participate in the next two Champions Leagues which will not clash with the domestic season.