Bangladesh tour is set to go ahead despite fears
Moeen is first England player to announce he’ll tour, but says others may need more time
ENGLAND’S tour to Bangladesh looks likely to go ahead despite serious reservations held by ‘several’ young players and one-day captain Eoin Morgan, after Moeen Ali (above) became the first to say he will go.
The Mail on Sunday understand a number of younger players are still reluctant to tour, while Morgan has already voiced his reservations publicly, leading the ECB to delay naming the tour squad to September 13 to allow more time for them make up their minds.
There was ‘serious concern’ within the team this week after last Sunday’s exclusive revelations in this paper by former England batsman Mal Loye. He said he quit his job as Bangladesh head of performance after learning of a terrorist plot to attack the Australia team in Dhaka last October, before they pulled out of their proposed tour.
The ECB insist there was no direct threat made to Steve Smith’s
WITH less than a month to go before England are due to arrive in Bangladesh, Moeen Ali has become the first player to commit publicly to the tour, insisting: ‘You’re not safe anywhere these days.’
Until now, the closest any of his team-mates had come to pledging their availability had been Jonny Bairstow saying he trusted the judgment of the ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason.
Assistant coach Paul Farbrace told Sportsmail on Friday he would tour, although he was always due to miss the two Tests at the end of the trip in a bid to recharge his batteries ahead of another busy winter schedule.
But white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and fast bowler Liam Plunkett have all refused to commit to trip in public.
ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss continues to meet with players in a bid to reassure them that the security measures put in place by the Bangladesh government will guarantee their safety.
Moeen said: ‘If selected, I’ll definitely go. I’m pretty happy with everything and really looking forward to it. Everyone’s different, and has their own views on things. It’s up to the individual: there’ s no pressure on anyone.’
Asked if he could understand his team-mates’ doubts following a terrorist attack on a Dhaka bakery in July which left more than 20 dead, Moeen replied: ‘One hundred per cent. My view is you’re not safe anywhere these days.
‘But even before the meeting with Reg, I was happy to go. Everyone needs their own time to make their own mind up — people should take as long as they want.’
The overall state of mind of England’s dressing-room will become clear once their summer comes to an end after Wednesday’s Twenty20 game against Pakistan in Manchester.
The immediate task, however, is to inflict a 5-0 one-day whitewash on the hapless Pakistanis in Cardiff today — a scoreline England have enjoyed only once before, in Zimbabwe in 2001-02.
Jos Buttler remains a doubt for the game after missing Thursday’s four-wicket win at Headingley with a hamstring niggle.
But otherwise England are well placed to complete a thrilling 50-over summer in which they have tied one game with a last-ball six, chased down more than 300 in another and posted a world-record 444 for three in another.
‘This feels different to other series,’ said Moeen. ‘We’ve got a great chance now to get this whitewash.
‘It will be a massive achievement and it just shows how good this side is and where we’re going.’
England will remain fifth in the ICC’s one-day rankings even if they complete a clean sweep, but the fact that their run-rate this year of 6.38 is half a run quicker than anyone else suggests they will not be mid-table for long.