England appear braced to hear confirmation from captain Eoin Morgan that he has decided to pull out of their one-day international series in Bangladesh. Morgan has spelled out the reasons for his personal concerns about travelling to a country where a terror attack in a Dhaka cafe in July resulted in the loss of 29 lives. The tour, comprising three one-day internationals between October 7 and 12 before England also play two Tests, was given the go-ahead last month after security expert Reg Dickason reported back favourably from his fact-finding mission in Bangladesh.
England remain optimistic that the majority of players in both squads will agree to travel. But as England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss starts to ascertain that information over the next 24 hours – during annual player appraisals in Loughborough – it is hard to ignore Morgan’s explanation of fears sown by previous experience of security alerts in both India and Bangladesh. He still vividly recalls bombs exploding during an Indian Premier League match in Bangalore six years ago, and then violent unrest while he was playing in the 2013-14 Dhaka Premier Division.
After those incidents, Morgan promised himself he would never to return to similar situations, situations in which he knows he could not give cricket his full attention.
“In 2010 we played an IPL game in Bangalore, and a bomb went off in the ground,” he said.
“We immediately left and went straight to the airport.
“Another (instance) was (in) Bangladesh, playing domestic cricket during political elections, where things were incredibly violent.”
One report that Morgan has already informed Strauss he will not be travelling is unconfirmed by England. But his words, in a press conference after England’s season-ending nine-wicket Twenty20 defeat to Pakistan at Old Trafford under his captaincy on Wednesday, speak for themselves. He added: “I think ultimately, as an individual, you need to be comfortable within yourself to be able to focus on cricket.
“I have been to places before when things have become a distraction – and once or twice when that has been security.
“I told myself I would not put myself in that situation again.”
At this stage, Morgan therefore appears highly unlikely to sign up for a tour which begins with a flight to Dhaka on September 29. Following his formal meeting with Strauss, either on Friday or Saturday, Morgan’s 30th birthday, it is anticipated England will issue an update on which players have agreed to travel. They are then likely to announce their squads next Friday both for the ODIs and those two Tests under Alastair Cook.
Should Morgan make himself unavailable, their next pressing task will be to name his replacement as captain. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler is Morgan’s current deputy, while Test vice-captain Joe Root is another contender to take the reins. Success or otherwise without Morgan may then dictate whether – with a Champions Trophy looming on home soil next summer – his absence is merely temporary.
