SKIPPER IN TURMOIL BUT SET TO STAY AT HOME I’ll never put myself in danger again, says Eoin
Eoin Morgan has given the strongest indication yet that he is ready to pull out of England’s one- day series in Bangladesh next month because of fears for his safety.
Morgan said previous brushes with security situations had left him determined ‘not to put myself in that situation again’, raising the possibility that England could arrive in Dhaka without their limited-overs captain.
andrew Strauss, the ECB’s director of cricket, has warned the players that no one’s place is guaranteed if they opt out, on the basis that their replacement could go on to make a persuasive case for future selection.
Strauss will meet the players today and tomorrow to discuss central contracts and get final answers on Bangladesh, with opening batsman alex Hales — whose Test place is under threat in any case — the only other player thought to be seriously considering staying at home. But it is the potential absence of Morgan, who has presided over England’s thrilling white-ball revolution since their disastrous efforts at the World Cup in early 2015, that would throw the biggest spanner in the works of the touring party.
‘Ultimately, as an individual, you need to be comfortable within yourself to be able to focus on cricket,’ he said. ‘i have been to places before when things have become a distraction.
‘once or twice that has been security and, when it has been, i told myself i would not put myself in that situation again.
‘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.’
Despite Morgan’s strongly worded views, Strauss remains hopeful that the report compiled by the ECB’s security advisor reg Dickason will persuade everyone that Bangladesh is safe to visit.
But the Barmy army are recom- mending that England fans thinking of travelling to Bangladesh do not make non- refundable arrangements.
Morgan remains unsettled by the terrorist attack on a Dhaka bakery on July 1, which left more than 20 dead. ‘given that nobody has toured there since the terrorist attack, that adds a bigger dimension to it,’ he said. Morgan’s experience of playing domestic cricket in india and Bangladesh, where he represented gazi Tank Cricketers in 2013-14, has left him especially sensitive to any hint of danger.
‘in 2010, we played an iPL game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground,’ he said. ‘We immediately left [after the game] and went straight to the airport.
‘another instance was in Bangladesh, playing domestic cricket during political elections where things were incredibly violent.’ Should Morgan decide to stay at home, the one- day captaincy would pass to Jos Buttler, who has led his country only once — a Twenty20 game against Pakistan in Dubai last november which England won by three runs.
Morgan’s place in the middle order would probably be taken by Kent’s Sam Billings, who remains on the fringes of the white-ball teams and has not played a 50- over international since June 2015.
Strauss has said the central contracts of any player deciding to pull out will not be affected, with the ECB considering whether to introduce a new band of limitedovers contracts as part of their commitment to England’s whiteball cricket.
But the logic of Strauss’s insistence that no future place is guaranteed should a player choose not to go to Bangladesh means Morgan’s England career could be on the line if he says no.
“I was playing
in India when a bomb went off
in the ground”