Morgan, Hales opt out of Bangladesh tour over security concerns

Eoin Morgan, England's limited-overs captain, and opener Alex Hales have both made themselves unavailable for the tour of Bangladesh, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday (September 12). After days of speculation, the pair had conveyed their decision to Andrew Strauss, England's director of cricket.

"Whilst we understand and respect Eoin and Alex's decision, we are disappointed that they have made themselves unavailable for selection for the Bangladesh tour," Strauss said.

The uncertainty surrounding the tour, starting on September 30, began after a terrorist attack on a cafe in the capital city of Dhaka in July, where 20 hostages were killed. Despite getting a clearance from Reg Dickason, ECB's director of security who led a team of men for a thorough assessment in Bangladesh, Morgan decided to skip the series after having already experienced travelling to India and Bangladesh amidst security alerts in the past.

"Playing international cricket - or any cricket - is not about worrying about different things, it should be the best time of your life, it should be something that you are looking forward to and wanting to do well in and are able to focus on. I have been to places before when things have become a distraction and once or twice when that has been security, and when it has been I told myself I would not put myself in that situation again," the ODI and T20I captain of England had previously stated.

Strauss, who has been vocal about wanting his entire squad to be on board for the tour after Dickason's thumbs-up, reiterated the fact that the safety and security of those travelling will remain ECB's prerogative.

"We have had open and honest conversations with all the players about the security arrangements in Bangladesh and at this stage we are not expecting any other individuals to withdraw from the tour. As with all England overseas tours, the safety and security of players and staff is of the utmost importance to ECB," Strauss opined.

"We will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, take advice and consider the appropriate steps up to and throughout the five weeks we are on tour," he added.

While Jos Buttler, England's vice-captain, will lead the ODI side in Morgan's absence, it will be interesting to see who fills in for Hales at the top of the order. A poor home series against Pakistan followed by his decision to pull out of the two Tests in Bangladesh could have a telling impact on his immediate Test career as the ECB think-tank appears to be impressed by the potential shown by Lancashire's 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed and could test him on this tour. England's team selection for the tour will be held on Friday.