CA reaffirm stance on Dhaka tour safety

Cricket Australia has been criticised by a senior Bangladesh Cricket official who admitted England's tour of the country later this year is in danger of being called off following the recent terrorist attack in Dhaka.

And CA has moved quickly to refute the Bangladesh official's claim safety was an "excuse" to postpone last October's two-Test tour "without any valid reason".

England are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 30 to play three one-day internationals and two Tests.

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However, that tour is now in doubt after the attack last Friday on a bakery in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter that has left at least 20 people dead.

The so-called Islamic State have claimed responsibility for that atrocity, as they did for last year's murder of an Italian man in the country's capital.

With rising fears over extremism in Bangladesh, the British foreign office have advised UK nationals to "remain vigilant" and "specifically advise against visiting areas where foreign nationals are known to congregate such as public areas of international hotels, large supermarkets, restaurants and clubs".

If that remains the case for the foreseeable future then it is hard to see how England's security director, Australian Reg Dickason, will be able to clear the tour.

Australia were forced to postpone their two-Test tour of Bangladesh last October following government intelligence citing a specific terrorist threat to Australian interests in the country.

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And while talking about his fears that England might do the same later this year, Bangladesh Cricket Board director Sheikh Sohel took a swipe at Australia's decision last year despite the fact Steve Smith and his squad had no option but to follow their government's advice.

"What happened is a very bad news for the entire nation," Sohel said of Friday's attack. "It's a shocker for not only cricket, but every sector of the country. I don't know what will happen in our cricket. This is a sensitive issue, and if something like this continues to happen, we will become abandoned by other cricket playing nations.

"Actually some countries always look for excuses to skip touring Bangladesh. For instance, Australia postponed their Bangladesh tour last year without showing any valid reason.

"They didn't even let their Under-19 team to come for the World Cup (earlier this year). But in that time, we had our points to defend ourselves. But after what happened on Friday we are totally clueless. Now if England opt not to come, we won't have anything to say.

"I hope England won't take any such decision. Even though Australia postponed their tour last year, and also didn't send an age-level team (to the Under-19 World Cup), England did the opposite, and they consented to send the senior team as well later this year.

"Hopefully they will do the same again. Now we have to wait and see what they have to say from their part. We still have plenty of time on our hands, so let's hope for the best."

A Cricket Australia spokesperson said Australia was still hopeful of rescheduling the postponed Test tour but the safety of players and officials would always come first.

"We stand by our decision to postpone tours to Bangladesh due to serious concerns about the safety and security of the Australian team and officials. We really feel for the Bangladeshi people and we hope that we can get back to Bangladesh soon," a CA spokesperson told cricket.com.au.

"We will continue to monitor advice from ASIO, DFAT and our own security advisors about the security risk for any future tours of the Australian team in Bangladesh and make a decision based on this advice closer to any potential tour."

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Sohel's comments were later tempered by BCB president Nazmul Hassan, who said he hoped Bangladesh's security situation would improve by the time England were scheduled to arrive in the country in late September.

Hassan cited the example of the Euro 2016 being held in France six months after the Paris attacks.

"It is a very unfortunate incident for Bangladesh," Hassan said. "You would have noticed that after the Paris attacks, the game didn't stop. Sport will go at its pace. England are coming after three months by which time the situation in Bangladesh will get better.

"It is hard to say which place is safe now. Safety can be an issue in England after three months. We will strengthen our security. If we can ensure that, cricket should not have a problem."