Halsall urges England to tour

Tigers fielding coach Richard Halsall hopes England's tour of Bangladesh will go ahead, given the visitors' commitment of playing all over the world. England are scheduled to reach Dhaka at the end of September this year for two Tests and three one-day internationals against the hosts. But following the terrorist attack in Dhaka last month, the bilateral series came under the scanner as the England and Wales Cricket Board showed concerns with the security situation. “I am hopeful that the tour will take place. England are, I think, committed to play cricket all over the world. Their Under-19s were here for the World Cup but maybe the security situation in Bangladesh is better now because awareness of the situation is heightened,” Halsall told the media Sunday. “I think people are a bit more honest about the threat level and there’s no denial that there’s a threat. But that exists here and everywhere. Being honest about there being a threat is the first step to dealing with it. You have got to get on with it. It is my job to coach, and for England to assess whether it is safe here for their players. “I think it is safe to be here. But it is up to them to decide whether it is safe for the team to come. Obviously it is a different situation for a team. But I really hope that they do come. We need to play some international cricket,” he said. Former Zimbabwe cricketer Halsall said terrorism is not an issue only in Bangladesh. He informed that the whole world is suffering from the same problem and that there have been occasions he happened to be in London and Mumbai when these cities came under attack in past. “It is not an incident, it is an atrocity. But they happen all over the world, in Belgium, France, Germany. I happened to be in London when it was under attack. I was in India when the Taj [Hotel] was attacked. We had only just left the Taj only a week earlier,” he said. “The world we live in, nowadays, these things do happen. And it is tragic for the people involved. So my thoughts are with those people who have been murdered. “It was always my intention to come back. I am a professional, and my job is to coach. BCB has been very kind to me. Let the BCB take stock of exactly what they should be doing. I think things probably calmed down but it doesn’t mean things aren’t going to happen but that’s the same in England, America, Australia, France, Germany. “We just have to be sensible, work with the right people. Be honest about the threat level and work towards a more peaceful environment,” he added. Halsall went on to state that he expects Bangladesh to be on top when they face England. According to the Tigers fielding coach, the English side are likely to be exhausted by the time they reach Dhaka, given their hectic schedule in the last three months. “The English are going to be shattered because they just played seven Tests in three months. So are they going to be able to bring their best players? They have five Tests against India after they play us. You can pitch it any way you want to but our players are going to be ready for the first ODI. We have to see it as an advantage,” he concluded.