Bangladesh tour is still a big worry
LIAM PLUNKETT has admitted the question of whether or not to tour Bangladesh next month is weighing on the minds of England’s players and overshadowing their one-day series against Pakistan.
The ECB gave the tour, which starts on September 30 and includes three ODIs and two Tests, the green light last Thursday.
It followed a lengthy briefing by Reg Dickason, England’s head of security, to the players that outlined why he was confident their safety could be guaranteed despite last month’s terrorist attack in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.
Australia cancelled their tour of the country last year but England have been given unprecedented assurances over security by the Bangladeshi authorities. Despite that, individual players have been told they can decide whether to travel or not and it is an issue which is dominating the agenda ahead of today’s third ODI against Pakistan in Nottingham.
“It probably is on some people’s minds,” said Plunkett. “We have spoken to each other. We want to win this series first, and the team or individuals, I am not sure how it is going to work, will make the decision.
“People are talking. It is your career. Everyone has their own way of thinking about it. Some people might want to go, some people might not.
“People are just digesting what went on in the meeting. Maybe I will speak to a few more people but I trust Reg and what he says and I will have another look after the series.” On the field, England have dominated the first two ODIs, winning easily at both Southampton and Lord’s, and will seal the series with two games to spare if they can win at Trent Bridge. They are still unbeaten in one-day matches this summer, having already dismissed Sri Lanka 3-0. Plunkett helped get that run under way when he smashed a last-ball six to tie the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge. Now, back at the scene of his heroics, the Yorkshire fast bowler says England’s aim is to complete a 5-0 whitewash against a Pakistan team ranked ninth in the world in this format. “In the Sri Lanka series, we were ahead and we won all the games we needed to there, so it’ll be the same mindset now,” he said. “We need to improve. We feel we need to get a bit better and we’re still trying to take it up a notch. We’re not taking Pakistan for granted. We want to win this series 5-0, not 3-0, so we’re trying to focus on winning every game.” England, who will name an unchanged XI today, started their 50-over revival last summer with a spectacular win against New Zealand at Edgbaston that saw them score 400 in the format for the first time. The turnaround, thanks largely to backing a group of young, exciting and powerful players, came following a shocking firstround exit from the World Cup at the start of 2015. And Plunkett, who made his one-day debut against Pakistan in 2005 in a team that included Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, believes this side will go far. “We had individuals in the past but this is the best team,” he said. “We had that New Zealand series last year when we showed what we could do and have gone from strength to strength. “This is the best one-day team I have played with.”
HOW THEY LINE UP ENGLAND: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. PAKISTAN: Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali (captain), Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Malik, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir. TV: Sky Sports 2, 2pm On-field umpires: Simon Fry (Aus) Richard Kettleborough (Eng) Third umpire: Marais Erasmus (South Africa)