Eoin Morgan, Alex Hales decline to tour Bangladesh over security concerns

Andrew Strauss says England "respect and understand" the players' decision but was "disappointed"

 

 

LONDON: Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales made themselves unavailable for England's upcoming cricket tour of Bangladesh because of their security concerns.

The England and Wales Cricket Board made the announcement on Sunday, with director of cricket Andrew Strauss saying England "respect and understand" the players' decision but was "disappointed."

Morgan is captain of the one-day international team and Hales is an opener for both the test and ODI teams.

The ECB undertook a full assessment of facilities and operations in Bangladesh last month, in the wake of an attack in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, in July by radical Islamists that left 20 people dead.

"We have had open and honest conversations with all the players about the security arrangements in Bangladesh and at this stage we are not expecting any other individuals to withdraw from the tour," Strauss said.

The squad will be selected on Friday, with Jos Buttler replacing Morgan as ODI captain. The team departs on Sept. 29 and will play three ODIs and two tests, in Dhaka and Chittagong, from Oct. 7 to Nov. 1.

Morgan spoke about his concerns last week, citing his previous experience of security alerts in India and Bangladesh.

"As with all England overseas tours, the safety and security of players and staff is of the utmost importance to ECB," Strauss said. "We will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, take advice and consider the appropriate steps up to and throughout the five weeks we are on tour."