Associated Press
Australia have postponed their cricket tour to Bangladesh because of concerns over player safety.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Thursday the tour, scheduled to start with a warm-up match on Saturday, would not go ahead as planned after Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs identified a serious security risk.
“The threats were credible and real and targeted, not only against Westerners but against Australians,” Sutherland said. “After six days of extensive deliberations and research, we’ve come to the conclusion that we have no other alternative than to postpone our tour.”
The squad had been scheduled to leave Australia last Monday but were disbanded after remaining on stand-by for three days. Players have returned to their provincial teams for domestic competition.
Sutherland said he’d negotiate with the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding potential future dates for the series. The Australians were scheduled to play two Tests – beginning October 9 in Chittagong and October 17 in Dhaka.
“It’s a very disappointing outcome from our perspective,” said Sutherland, who confirmed the postponement after a review conducted by CA’s security experts. “We’ve had three people on the ground meeting with Bangladesh Cricket, Bangladesh government sources and members of our foreign affairs department in Bangladesh.”
Other teams, including South Africa and India, toured Bangladesh without incident this year, but concerns were raised with the US, British and Canadian governments issuing warnings over possible militant attacks.
An Italian citizen was shot to death by a gunman on a motorcycle while walking in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone on Monday. The militant group Islamic State later claimed responsibility.
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