Editions
Los 40 USA
Scores
Follow us on
Hello

CRICKET

England players to get Bangladesh tour choice - Morgan

One-day skipper Eoin Morgan says England's cricketers will be able to opt out of this year's trip to Bangladesh over safety concerns.

England players to get Bangladesh tour choice - Morgan
Paul ChildsREUTERS

England's players will be allowed to skip the tour of Bangladesh later this year if they have concerns about security in the country, limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has revealed.

Morgan, Test captain Alastair Cook and team members will meet the England and Wales Cricket Board's security director Reg Dickason on Thursday to discuss the matter.

"You have to make guys feel safe to go"

An attack in Dhaka last month claimed by the Islamic State group saw 20 hostages killed, including nine Italians, and Australia have cancelled senior and under-19 tours of Bangladesh in the past year.

20 hostages were killed after a cafe in the Bangladeshi capital was attacked by terrorists in July.
Full screen
20 hostages were killed after a cafe in the Bangladeshi capital was attacked by terrorists in July.AFP

"They'll debrief us on the findings on both tours [Bangladesh and India] and we'll chat about it. It has to be quite open,' Morgan said in comments reported by British media on Wednesday.

"People have missed tours in the past so you have to make guys feel safe to go. It's a decision you'd rather get out of the way sooner rather than later.

"There's always room for a personal decision. You also have to understand guys might have different priorities."

England will play three ODIs and two Tests in Bangladesh in October and November before heading to India.

Previous pull-outs

Bowlers Andy Caddick and Robert Croft pulled out of England's tour of India in 2001 for security reasons, while England forfeited a World Cup match against Zimbabwe in 2003 after refusing to play in Harare.