Stuart Broad confirms his participation for the Bangladesh tour
Stuart Broad, the premier England fast bowler, has confirmed his participation in the two-Test series in Bangladesh that is scheduled to get underway on September 30. He joins the likes of Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan, who have already expressed their willingness to tour the Asian nation. Post the July 1 terror attacks in Dhaka, following which England had sent a team to inspect the security conditions in the country, the players have been in a dilemma as to whether to go ahead with the tour or not.
Already, the presumed decision of the incumbent England limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, to not tour the subcontinental nation following the consistent doubts over his own safety have created a furore amongst the English media and the veterans alike.
This development, therefore, should come as a sigh of relief, not just for Andrew Strauss, the England Director of Cricket – who had given the players time until September 11 to decide about their availability for the tour – but also for Bangladesh, who are expecting a full-strength England side to tour them towards the end of the month.
I’m going to Bangladesh: Broad
“I'm going to go to Bangladesh,” the 29-year-old pacer told Sky Sports.
“It's been a tough decision because safety is hugely important. But at the meeting with the ECB that I attended Reg Dickason, who has been a security officer for many years and I have toured a lot with, gave his views on it - that sort of settled me down quite a bit.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) security advisor, Reg Dickason, after his assessment of the arrangements in the Asian nation, had given a green signal to the series and had urged the players to go ahead and travel to the country.
“Of course family is always an interesting discussion because there is always that [question]: is there a massive need for you to go? Why put yourself at risk? Why do you need all this protection around you?
“But my gut feelings was I should be on that plane to tour Bangladesh with the England cricket team and that's the decision I have come to.”
Interestingly, the cricketer’s father, Chris Broad, who is a former England cricketer and an ICC match official, was there on the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, that was attacked by armed gunmen during Sri Lanka's 2009 tour to Pakistan.
After the aforementioned incident, international teams have refused to tour Pakistan, and for the past six to seven years, Pakistan have been playing their home games in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With Australia withdrawing from their tour to Bangladesh last year, and the doubts over England's participation this year, there was a danger of Bangladesh becoming another Pakistan.
"My dad went through an awful experience where he was involved in shootings and stuff, so it has been a big thinking point for me. But I think it is right for me to go,” the cricketer concluded.
The willingness of one of the senior cricketers to go ahead with the tour should give the youngsters in the side a lot of confidence and belief, but it remains to be seen whether this confidence would be enough for them to make a positive decision regarding the upcoming series.