Australia have postponed their two-Test tour of Bangladesh amid terrorism fears.
Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland announced on Thursday night that an independent security assessment confirmed the “risk of terrorism in Bangladesh targeting Australian nationals”.
“We have decided that, regrettably, we have no alternative but to postpone the tour,” Sutherland said.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board said it was disappointed with the decision and did not agree the country was unsafe to host the series.
“On the contrary, the board is of the opinion that Bangladesh at present offers one of the safest environments for holding international sporting events including cricket,” it said in a statement.
Players from the 15-man squad are now available to play in the 50-over One-Day Cup which begins on Monday.
Five Test players are available for New South Wales including Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc, as well as four West Australians including Mitchell and Shaun Marsh and veteran Adam Voges.
Queensland will welcome back skipper Usman Khawaja and batsman Joe Burns, while powerful hitter Glenn Maxwell will be available for Victoria.
Tasmania will get back all-rounder James Faulkner and paceman Andrew Fekete.
CA will also stage a two-day red-ball camp in Sydney on October 13 ahead of next month’s home Test series Against New Zealand.
The first round of the Sheffield Shield will also be pushed back a day to give the One-Day Cup finalists extra time to recover.
CA was approached by ASIO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade last Friday (September 25) with urgent advice that it had identified a potential security risk to Australian interests in Bangladesh.
This resulted in Cricket Australia delaying the team’s scheduled Monday departure for the tour.
Bangladesh had tried to keep the tour alive, insisting the players would be given the level of security usually reserved for visiting heads of state, with Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan saying the “highest security protocol” would be provided.
“We’re very disappointed. We’ve offered the highest and unprecedented level of security to the Australian team, which is generally provided to a visiting head of state,” Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus said.
However, the shooting death of an Italian aid worker in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter, a murder claimed by Islamic State, only escalated fears.
“We had hoped that the security concerns would fade, but unfortunately the advice we have received from government, our own security experts and independent security advisors has clearly indicated that there are now high risks to our people should they make the trip,” Sutherland said.
“We have worked tirelessly to try to find a way for the tour to proceed, but in the end it was simply not possible,” he said.
CA said it would work with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to try to reschedule the tour.
The security scare also spilled over to soccer, with Australia’s football chiefs announcing their own concerns about playing a World Cup qualifier in the South Asian nation.
Football Federation Australia officially notified FIFA of their security fears, as they prepare to take on Bangladesh in Dhaka on November 17.
– AAP
