Eoin Morgan "became the first England captain to pull out of a tour on security grounds" when it was announced on Sunday night that he will not lead the team in Bangladesh "for fear of a terrorist attack," according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. Alex Hales, the opening batsman, "joined Morgan in making himself unavailable for the Bangladesh trip" after a weekend of talks with England Cricket Dir Andrew Strauss. A statement from the England & Wales Cricket Board ended "more than a week of speculation after both players admitted publicly their fears over the tour." Morgan’s decision "is embarrassing for the ECB," which said in the statement that a "thorough and detailed risk assessment" was carried out and approved by the board. But the one-day captain has not trusted the ECB's judgment and, "even though all players have been assured they are free to pull out without long-term recriminations," Strauss said that he was "disappointed" by their decisions, "which have put their England careers on the line." Jos Buttler will captain the team in place of Morgan (TELEGRAPH, 9/11). In London, Neil Sears reported London Daily Mail editor-at-large Piers Morgan branded the decision "pathetic" and called for Morgan to be sacked.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Morgan "should be with his team in Bangladesh," arguing that once a group decision has been made to go, "the captain has a responsibility to join his players." Hussain added that refusing to go "has to undermine his authority" (
DAILY MAIL, 9/11).
'VERY MUCH COMMITTED': REUTERS' Ruma Paul reported the Bangladesh Cricket Board expects a "strong England side to tour the country" even though Morgan and Hales withdrew. BCB President Nazmul Hassan said, "They (England) are very much committed. I don’t think they will pull out. We are hopeful of England tour. We are hoping their best team will come." Hassan said that if England does pull out "it will be a huge financial loss for the BCB." He added, "Sport can’t stop. Such types of militant attacks are happening all over the world. Even after the Paris attacks (in 2015), the game didn’t stop there. Sport will go on" (
REUTERS, 9/12).
