ECB hopes to decide Champions League participation

London:

ECB is set to ignore Friday's deadline to decide their county team's participation in the Champions League and instead hoping the issue would be resolved at a meeting in Dubai next month, according to a report here.

Champions League chairman Lalit Modi has invited two teams from England to compete in the tournament, which will be held between Septmber 10 to 22, when the County championship and the ECB 40 League will be reaching their climaxes.

So far the England and Wales Cricket Board has refused to alter the county schedule to enable the finalists of the Twenty20 Cup to play in the USD 6.5 million champions League.

Modi wants an answer tomorrow from the ECB in order to find alternative teams if the counties are unavailable.

"We want the counties to participate and sent invitations to David Collier (ECB chief executive) on Monday.

"We hope they can make new arrangements and be available for Champions League," Modi was quoted as saying by the Times.

An ECB spokesman said that board chairman Giles Clarke would speak to his counterparts in India at a meeting in Dubai.

England are hoping to convince the Indian and Australian boards to rearrange the India-Australia one-day series in October that has forced the Champions League to be held during the English season.