Sept 12 – England one-day captain Eoin Morgan and opening batsman Alex Hales have opted out of October’s tour of Bangladesh because of security concerns.
No international side has toured Bangladesh since 20 people were killed in a siege at a cafe in Dhaka in July.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said in August that tour would go ahead following a security review.
Jos Buttler will captain the one-day side, with the one-day and Test squads to be named on Friday.
The tour features three one-day internationals followed by two Test matches.
England director of cricket Andrew Strauss said: “While we understand and respect Eoin and Alex’s decision, we are disappointed that they have made themselves unavailable for selection for the Bangladesh tour.”
He added that after “open and honest” discussions with all the players, no further withdrawals are expected.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has described Morgan’s decision as a “huge mistake”, while Nasser Hussain, another ex-skipper, said Morgan “should be with his team”.
Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan and Liam Dawson have publicly said they will tour, while team-mate Ben Stokes tweeted his support for the pair, saying: “I will always back, not just my captain but also any fellow team-mate’s decision on matters like this.”
Last week, Strauss said that anyone who does not travel is giving a chance to another player.
England fly out on 29 September, with the one-day series starting on 7 October and the Test series on 20 October.
They follow that with a tour of India made up of five Tests, three ODIs and three Twenty20s.
Morgan, 29, said this week that he would never go on a tour where security concerns may affect his game.
“In 2010 we played an Indian Premier League game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground. Immediately we left and went straight to the airport,” he said.
“Another one was playing domestic cricket in Bangladesh during political elections and things were incredibly violent.
“Given that no-one has toured there since the terrorist attack adds a bigger decision to it.”
-BBC Sport
