Kent's hopes of playing in the lucrative BCCI organised Twenty20 Champions League were quashed on Friday when the ECB confirmed that Middlesex would be the only representatives invited to take part in next month's money-spinning event.

In responding to the news Kent's chief executive Paul Millman said: “We are very frustrated by it all and hugely disappointed as a club and for our players and I know the ECB are disappointed too, because we’ve been talking to them over the past couple of days.

“It has been a difficult 48 hours for us but that’s the way it is. We will now have to assess the implications for us and also for the rest of the counties because clearly this begins to impact on next year’s planned event as well.

“There were a number of alternative options that we put forward, but the rules weren’t clear when we started out on the Twenty20 campaign and they still weren’t clear when we played last Saturday’s semi-final at The Rose Bowl. It was quite difficult for us to make changes and adjustments to our side when we didn’t really know what the outcome would be.

“There has always been the issue of ICL players, we know that, but so do 15 other counties.

“We were keen to be constructive and wanted to take part, to try and understand the issues, but our compromises didn’t find favour and one of our options was to play without our two former ICL players Azhar Mahmood and Justin Kemp."

Mr Millman added: “The team as a whole have been united since we started out down this road and I’m very keen they don’t feel in any way responsible for this because they’re quite simply not. Throughout they’ve just been playing for the success of Kent and will continue to do so as Azhar has done so transparently today (with three wickets and 73 runs).

“The whole thing has evolved very fast and we’ve had to sit back and wait for it all to happen. I think there’s a lot more to go yet and we will continue to talk with the ECB about the implications of us missing out on this.

“The thing I care most about though is that is that there is no issue of Azhar and Justin being made to feel responsible for this because this is a much bigger issue that impacts on 15 other counties.”

Earlier, in an ECB statement Colin Gibson, the board's head of corporate communications announced that despite finishing as Cup runners-up, Kent would not receive an invitation to the proposed event.

He added: "The ECB and Kent are bitterly disappointed at this stance as Kent had offered various solutions aimed at overcoming the objections of the organizers, such as not to include players who had taken part in unauthorised cricket in their squad.

"With Kent's full knowledge ECB offered Essex as an alternative county to play in the Champions' League as Essex were beaten by Kent in the Twenty20 Cup semi-final, this suggestion was also rejected by the organisers .

"ECB have written to the organisers confirming that, subject to contract, the Board has approved the participation of Middlesex, the Twenty20 Cup winners on the proviso that the event is authorised and on agreed terms."