Positive England set for Bangladesh tour

A much relieved decision came across Bangladeshi cricket after the England and Wales Cricket Board gave the green signal for its upcoming tour of Bangladesh, scheduled for next month, through a media release Friday morning. England's one-day team is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on September 30 for a three-match ODI series and two Tests. England players including Test captain Alastair Cook and ODI skipper Eoin Morgan were briefed by the ECB's security advisor Reg Dickason on Thursday regarding the security arrangements and risk assessment. Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive David Leatherdale and the ECB's director of cricket operations John Carr, both of whom were part of the delegation that inspected the venues and security measures in Dhaka and Chittagong alongside Dickason, were also present at the meeting along with Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, and Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive. “England's tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned," said Strauss after the meeting. "Safety and security of players and management are always paramount. We've received a thorough risk assessment, had excellent insight into the current situation and been fully briefed on security commitments. ECB and PCA have the utmost confidence in the advice and support we've been given. "Tonight we discussed details with the players and management in an open meeting. They asked lots of questions, have time to ask more and will clearly want to take it all in - we understand that. Selection for the tour will be made after the end of the summer internationals. "We will, as always, continue to monitor the situation right up to and throughout the tour." It has been a nervous few days for the Bangladeshi fans, board members, journalists and general people after the terrorist attack in Dhaka on July 1, keeping in mind that Australia cancelled its tour of Bangladesh last year due to security reasons. Cricket Australia also pulled out from participating in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year owing to the same reason. The ECB decision therefore, was welcomed by Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan, who spoke in glowing terms at his Gulshan residence on Friday regarding the key role played by the security agencies in this issue. “Firstly, I would like to thank ECB and England cricket team, and our security agencies like police and RAB (Rapid Action Battalion). There is no point saying anything before thanking them. That’s why I want to thank them first,” said Nazmul. “I always had the belief that England would come and there are a few reasons for that. England have always sent their teams, even though Australia didn’t. Even in India, they continued playing. So England are not a team that bow their head down towards terrorist activities. “We always had a good relationship with England. That was also a plus point. “Secondly, the security aspect, well, its almost the same everywhere. One can't say any country in the world is 100 percent safe. However, the security plan that we gave them and the Bangladesh government is continuing to give, I don’t think any other board provides such security. “Finally, we managed so many teams during the Under-19 World Cup that I don’t think it will be difficult for our security agencies to look after one side. So, I was confident that they would come,” he added. With that said, the BCB chief informed that the next few weeks would be crucial and that they would need to remain vigilant before and during the tour. “We will make sure that not just players, but fans, family members and reporters, if they let us know beforehand where they will stay, we will arrange security for them, no matter where they are, be it in the stadium or next to the hotel, wherever. This is the kind of mental readiness we have. We believe that there won't be any problem with regards to this England tour. “This series is important not only for cricket but even for the country. I would like to tell the entire country and the media, let’s all make this tour a tour to remember,” concluded Nazmul. Meanwhile, the BCB supremo later called on the Bangladesh cricketers on the same day and sat for a meeting.