England's Bangladesh tour to go ahead after safety and security concerns allayed

26 August 2016 07:23

England's tour of Bangladesh this autumn will go ahead after the England and Wales Cricket Board had concerns about safety and security allayed.

Concerns over playing in the country spiked last month with 20 hostages and two police officers killed in an attack which militant group Islamic State said it carried out, amid fears of further incidents targeting westerners.

England have two Tests and three one-day internationals planned, in Dhaka and Chittagong, between October 7 and November 1.

The ECB's security expert Reg Dickason, director of cricket operations John Carr and David Leatherdale, representing the Professional Cricketers' Association, recently made a fact-finding visit to Bangladesh.

And after assessing the situation, the England and Wales Cricket Board tweeted on Thursday: "We can confirm that @englandcricket's tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned."

A statement continued: "A full assessment of facilities and operations in both Bangladesh and India was made this month.

"England players - including Test captain Alastair Cook and one-day captain Eoin Morgan - were tonight briefed on arrangements and the risk assessment by Reg Dickason, alongside Andrew Strauss, David Leatherdale, (director of cricket operations) John Carr and ECB chief executive Tom Harrison."

Director of cricket Strauss added: "England's tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned.

"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."

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently advises "there is a heightened threat of further terrorist attacks" in Bangladesh, although the same could be said of many European cities, including London.

Cricket Australia postponed a scheduled trip to the country last winter citing specific, credible threats against its team.

Bangladesh limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza this week urged England to bring their cricketers to a troubled country that values the sport as highly as any other on the circuit.

Previously, England declined to go to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup, at the eventual cost of their own progress in the competition.

Five years later Strauss' side returned to India to complete a Test series that had been thrown into doubt by terror attacks in Mumbai, with Sachin Tendulkar praising England's actions after he led an emotionally-charged win in Chennai.

England are due to arrive in Bangladesh on September 30 and have three warm-up matches scheduled before the Tests and ODIs.

They are expected to leave the country on November 2 ahead of a five-Test series in India starting a week later.

Source: PA