Sri Lanka will allow their top players to compete in the Indian Premier League rather than tour England next year, Sri Lanka Cricket said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive Duleep Mendis will inform the England Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday that they are not able to send a full strength side and will discuss alternative arrangements.
England invited Sri Lanka for two test matches and three one-day internationals in April and May after the government cancelled Zimbabwe's scheduled visit.
However, the proposed tour dates clash directly with the lucrative Indian Premier League, which runs from April 10 to May 25, in which 13 Sri Lanka cricketers have contracts.
"We will be taking up the matter with the ECB shortly to find what alternatives we can arrive at without upsetting both parties," Mendis told reporters.
"The players were already committed to play in the IPL and they have also assured us that they would give the 2011 tour of England top priority ahead of the IPL.
"Taking these points into consideration, we couldn't let them down.
"Therefore it was agreed that the players be allowed to play in the IPL next year."
Sri Lanka Cricket will see whether the dates can be pushed back, which is unlikely to be possible due to the World Twenty20 Cup starting in June.
If England cannot change dates then Sri Lanka will offer to send a weakened squad, Mendis said.
All Sri Lanka's top cricketers, including captain Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya, are contracted with IPL franchises on three-year deals.
