The Bangladesh Cricket Board fears it will be “abandoned” by other cricket nations if England pulls out of a tour there this year, according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. England security adviser Reg Dickason is "expected to visit Bangladesh this month and his report will decide if the tour in October-November goes ahead." England is due to play a Test and two one-day internationals in Dhaka, "the capital city hit by an attack by Islamic militants on Saturday that left 20 dead at a cafe in the upmarket Gulshan district" close to hotels used by touring cricket teams. The England & Wales Cricket Board "will take soundings from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before making a decision over the tour and also speak to the players." So far, there have been "no discussions over shifting the tour to another country." BCB Dir Sheikh Sohail said, "What happened is a very bad news for the entire nation. Never before did we witness something like this in our country. It’s a shocker for not only cricket, but every sector of the country." The latest advice from the Foreign Office "warns of a high threat of terrorist action by both Isil and al-Qaeda in Bangladesh." The Foreign Office also warns of security at Dhaka int'l airport not meeting “some international security requirements” (TELEGRAPH, 7/3). In London, Paul Weaver reported England one-day and Twenty20 captain Eoin Morgan admitted there is "a big concern" over security for England's tour to Bangladesh. Morgan "also refused to rule out" the ECB asking for the matches against Bangladesh to be played on neutral soil. The BCB "already admitted it can raise no objection should England cancel the tour." Morgan said that England's players "will wait for security information from the ECB before making further judgment." When asked whether the fixtures "could be played on neutral territory," Morgan said, "I think that could be feasible if that came to it. I think it [security] is quite a big concern at the moment" (GUARDIAN, 7/4).
