The ECB have confirmed that the England tour of Bangladesh will go ahead as planned. Concerns were raised after Dhaka, the nation’s capital, suffered a terrorist attack in July that left many dead. Australia cancelled their tour to the country at the end of last year due to security concerns. But a security delegation that included the ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason, the Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive David Leatherdale and the ECB’s director of cricket operations John Carr, has recently returned from India and Bangladesh after completing a venue inspection ahead of the tours. They concluded that, with the level of security promised by the Bangladesh government, that it will be safe for the tour to go ahead. England players – including Test captain Alastair Cook and one-day captain Eoin Morgan – were briefed tonight by Dickason on the security arrangements and the risk assessment. Leatherdale and Carr were also present at the meeting alongside Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, and Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive. “England’s tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned,” said Strauss after the meeting. “Safety and security of players and management are always paramount. We’ve received a thorough risk assessment, had excellent insight into the current situation and been fully briefed on security commitments. ECB and PCA have the utmost confidence in the advice and support we’ve been given. “Tonight we discussed details with the players and management in an open meeting. They asked lots of questions, have time to ask more and will clearly want to take it all in – we understand that. Selection for the tour will be made after the end of the summer internationals.” “We will, as always, continue to monitor the situation right up to and throughout the tour.” It is understood that England’s players will be given a no-consequences option to skip the tour if they, or their families, are uncomfortable with their involvement. Arriving on 30 September, England are scheduled to play three warm-up matches, three one-day internationals and two Test matches, before leaving Bangladesh on November 2. They will then travel to India for a five-Test series starting on November 9. Current government advice from the Foreign Office currently states that there is “a heightened threat of further terrorist attacks” in Bangladesh and warns those travelling to minimise their exposure to “crowded areas and places where westerners are known to gather”. (ESPN Cricinfo)
