Eoin Morgan close to Bangladesh tour withdrawal, netizens furious

English limited-over skipper Eoin Morgan says two previous security scares in the sub-continent made him wary of ever again jeopardising his personal safety, as he outlined why he remains deeply concerned about touring Bangladesh, reports AFP. He is yet to commit to a tour whose future was called into question after the Holey Artisan attack in Dhaka on July 1 saw 20 hostages killed, although teammates Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan have both said they will go if selected. According to British media, Morgan and his team-mates will meet Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, over the next 48 hours, where they will be expected to state their availability or otherwise for the month-long tour that begins on September 29, when the one-day squad flies out. [youtube id="Cx3lb8ScJ9A"] The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) consequently sent an inspection team to Bangladesh led by long-serving security chief Reg Dickason. After he reported back, the board confirmed that the tour, which includes three one-day internationals and two Test match fixtures in October-November, would go ahead. ECB director Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, said Wednesday he expected to hear from players within a matter of days if they were available to tour ahead of an expected squad announcement on September 16. [youtube id="yQt9IODi1tw"] Morgan said his thinking had been influenced by a bomb exploding at a 2010 Indian Premier League match and the violent background to a brief spell in the 2013/14 Dhaka Premier Division. "In 2010 we played an IPL game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground. We immediately left for the airport. So that was an instance. Another one was (in) Bangladesh playing domestic cricket during political elections when things were incredibly violent." The Irishman added: "I think ultimately, as I’ve said before, as an individual you need to be comfortable within yourself to focus on cricket. English limited-over skipper Eoin Morgan during nets session Reuters"I’ve been to places before where things have become a distraction and it’s only been once or twice when security’s been a distraction and I’ve told myself I’d never put myself in that situation again." Test captain Alastair Cook is understood to have given a private assurance he will be on the tour, while coach Trevor Bayliss, who was on the Sri Lanka bus that came under armed attack in Lahore in 2009, has stated publicly he will travel to Bangladesh. But Morgan, speaking after England's nine-wicket Twenty20 thrashing by Pakistan at Old Trafford on Wednesday, said it was difficult to concentrate solely on cricket amid a backdrop of security worries. "International cricket or any cricket for that matter is not about worrying about different things," he said.

Netizens fury

The Dhaka Tribune social media editors have curated some of the reactions, posted on social media by netizens, apparently frustrated and angry over Morgan’s stance. The strongest one came from British TV personality Piers Morgan, who wrote:

Stop being such a wuss @Eoin16 & either go to Bangladesh or give up the captaincy. Leaders lead. #England #Cricket

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 8, 2016

Some others are below:

England should just ditch Eoin Morgan and move on. Take someone that wants to go. — Chris S (@shoppy131) September 9, 2016

@Eoin16 Terrorism is the problem for total world not for Bangladesh. If u are not coming, then will encourage the terrorist #ECB

— Dip Azad (@dipazad) September 9, 2016

Eoin Morgan's decision to not tour Bangladesh citing security fears will not go down well with ECB. If Cook can play Tests, why can't Morgan — Nitin Naik (@toi_nitinnayak) September 9, 2016

Some came to his defences too:

You may agree or disagree with Eoin Morgan's likely decision not to tour Bangladesh, but one admires his insistence in being his own man!

— Ian Stafford (@IanStaffs) September 9, 2016

I'm really uneasy with the amount of pressure some people (mainly Strauss) are putting on Eoin Morgan to tour Bangladesh. — Lords (@AndyDarbs) September 9, 2016