If Australia abandon their scheduled Test tour of Bangladesh it will be horribly unfortunate. If it happens, however, there can be no criticism of the Australians.
Media reports suggest there is a strong chance Australia may cancel the two-Test tour, which was meant to kick off this Saturday with a three-day match against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI.
Cricket Australia last Friday was warned by the Australian Government that it had changed its travel advice for the country due to intelligence that “militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh”.
The US and the UK have since upgraded their travel warnings to their citizens.
The Australian players were scheduled to fly to Bangladesh last weekend but are yet to leave the country. In the wake of the Australian Government warning, CA sent a delegation of senior staff to Bangladesh to analyse the security concerns and meet with the BCB.
The BCB has been upbeat about the situation, expressing confidence the series would go ahead and even naming its squad for the two Tests.
But Cricinfo yesterday reported that the tour looked “increasingly in danger of being cancelled”.
Read cricket forums and the comments section of media articles on the situation and you will find an overwhelming number of fans condemning Australia.
These fans mostly agree that Australia are using the security situation as a smokescreen for reasons varying from their lack of desire to play against the low-profile Bangladesh to a fear that they would lose the series.
While such situations always bring out the trolls there is definitely a great deal of disenchantment among Bangladesh fans, in particular.
It is understandable that they would be disappointed not to watch their improving side tackle the Aussies. It is understandable that they would be upset that their country is being portrayed in the international media as unsafe for foreign visitors.
It is understandable that they may think the Australian Government is overstating the security risk.
But it is unfair to portray the Australian cricket team in a bad light over this incident, whether or not the tour is cancelled. CA would be crazy to ignore such a warning from its government. The Australian players would be just as foolish to challenge the caution expressed by CA.
Aside from the specific warning that “militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh”, there also is the fact the Islamic State reportedly have taken responsibility for the slaying of an Italian man in Dhaka on Monday.
The BCB have been reported as being shocked that CA have delayed the departure of their players, and have offered CA assurances the team would be protected against any threats.
With all due respect to the BCB, there is no way they can guarantee the safety of the Australian players. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world, a place where security officials, police officers and soldiers easily can be bribed.
If CA has even the slightest doubt about the safety of its players and officials it must cancel the tour, as unfortunate as that would be. Hopefully, their concerns will be addressed and the series will go ahead.
Both teams have plenty to gain from the two-Test series. For Bangladesh, it would be perhaps their best ever chance of beating one of the powerhouse teams of Test cricket. Their only wins in history have come against the lowly Zimbabwe and the West Indies.
Their brilliant recent results in ODIs and steady improvement in Tests suggest they would be a tough foe for the new-look Australians, who have just lost a raft of experienced players to retirement.
Australia have a shocking record on the kind of dry, dusty decks they would face in Bangladesh and so benefit from any chance to play Tests in such conditions.
The two Tests would also allow their host of fresh players to find their feet out of the media spotlight which will shine upon them when the Australian season commences.
But, above all, the players need to be safe.
Kohli's Middle Finger
Guest
Actually the bad old days when Aussie cricketers did not want to tour the sub-continent are long gone. I credit AB for changing attitudes + the thrilling cricket often played when Australia tours. With our small connected world and general economic progress its not an issue anymore. Security threats are often nebulous and with Australia involved in Syria its best to err on the side of caution. The Australian players will be disappointed.
timbo
Guest
The point that the people of Bangladesh have to take into account is that this is not a case of CA calling off the tour just for the heck of it, but because they have been strongly urged by the government and our security people that there are risks associated by doing so. It's really easy for some to prattle on about thumbing their noses and going there regardless, but that's neither here nor there. They aren't responsible for anyone but themselves. CA, as an employer, has a responsibility to protect its own, and for that they need to be applauded, not condemned. I also suspect that the intelligence that this is all based upon goes much further than is being stated, and really, given our unfortunate toadying to everything the USA asks of our government the fact is that Australia's presence in the Syrian conflict makes our citizens fair game as far as IS is concerned, and what better target than our national cricket team? Tell me that even one of those young men being killed by a terrorist wouldn't rip our hearts out? Therefore the warning makes sense on any number of levels, and much as I feel for the cricket-loving public of Bangladesh they have to appreciate that they obviously, given the recent attach on the Italian journalist, do have extremists within their ranks quite willing to kill westerners, including Australians, to make their point.
Zim Zam
Roar Rookie
Well, there it is: http://www.cricket.com.au/news/australia-tour-of-bangladesh-withdraw-james-sutherland-security-fears/2015-10-01
Goongla
Guest
Reportedly, members of the Western alliance are specifically being targeted. Australian cricketers are much more obvious target, as a result. That is the same reason India and Pakistan hardly play against each other.
Zim Zam
Roar Rookie
Mate, frankly I'm more interested in our cricketers being alive and safe than I am in them proving a point about their bravery to people like you.
Sideline Comm.
Guest
But you have to remember that their climb in the ratings is a relatively recent thing. For most of the last 15 years NZ have not been a very well ranked team. But in essence I agree, for no other reason that they always seem to rise for Australia games.
Don Freo
Guest
Vic and Chris...are you for real? Trying to link this to a lack of courage? Cricket is the richer without you following, Chris, if that is your way of thinking.
Craig Swanson
Guest
Agree Vic. People in the sub continental countries are used to facing these dangers. We are not. The day when a foreign side tours our country and we are forced to provide security " fit for visiting heads of state". I will stop following cricket. I say CA should stop touring any country that poses a threat to our cricketers. India included.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I doubt the BPL will even go ahead to be honest, it's had major problems from the start and the situation in Bangladesh isn't becoming any better for foreigners. Plus if Maxi had any brains he'd be playing the house down in the Shield and waiting for one of the new guys to fail one too many times.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Even more so when you think that a huge amount of those West Indies Tests probably took place between about 2000 to 2007, we almost never play them now. The other amazing one is how infrequently we play Sri Lanka.
Bearfax
Guest
It actually surprises me how few tests we play against our neighbour New Zealand. Since 2000 we have played the following tests against the majors England: 45 India: 29 South Africa: 26 West Indies: 23 New Zealand: 14 Pakistan: 11 Sri Lanka: 10 I can understand the popularity of the Ashes series, and the problem with Pakistan despite their high ranking. But New Zealand is up there in the ratings and only a few points below some of the heavyweights. South Africa: 125 Australia: 106 England: 102 Pakistan: 101 India: 100 New Zealand: 99 Sri Lanka: 89 West Indies: 81 Bangladesh: 47 Zimbabwe: 5 And they are only next door meaning transport costs etc are much less. Why do we play them so infrequently when tests against them are always competitive even though since 2000 Australia has a 9-1 winning margin with 5 draws. And during that time we have only had two three test series out of the six series played.
Vic
Guest
It's so easy to label others without having a clue about their lives or circumstances, isn't it Ronan. The world according to Ronan.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"Chokers is a tag which should only be bestowed on teams who live with danger on a daily basis" It's a tag which should be used for teams which have failed due to mental weakness over and over again in every major international limited overs tournament.
Vic
Guest
Of course the brave boys should be allowed to stay home if they're scared. And no one should be allowed to mock them. Or call them names. That won't be nice I mean, I would never for instance think of calling them chokers, because they're scared. Chokers is a tag which should only be bestowed on teams who live with danger on a daily basis, not those who have the choice to stay at home safely. Also, it won't be our brave boys making the decision, it will be their management. So it's not really the boys being scared, is it? Didn't they cancel a test series to Pakistan a while ago, because of the danger? And Zimbabwe recently?
Don Freo
Guest
Maybe we could play them in England. I reckon we could take 'em at Trent Bridge.
Joey Johns
Roar Guru
Perhaps Australia can take advantage of their new found freshness of the Summer and reinstate the 3rd test against NZ in NZ?
Rellum
Roar Guru
You are missing the point. If they had never had named this team for this tour and let everyone play out the first few rounds of the shield then all focus would be on who is doing well. Who will make the team. Naming this squad took all that away. Now even if the tour doesn't go ahead then all we are left we is can these new guys keep up enough form that people don't question their selection. And yes I would doubt that if the tour does go ahead that any of them would be allowed back into their state teams.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
The first round of the Shield doesn't start until after the player are back from Bangladesh (if the tour goes ahead). 2nd Test finishes on October 21. First Shield game begins on the 27th. So, they aren't missing Shield matches - though watch for CA to pull players out of the Shield. And the early start to the Test series against New Zealand is unfortunate. That is the scheduling problem which means only Shield game is played in the lead-up, not the Bangladesh tour.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
You can also understand why the local fans in Bangladesh and even the Indians bash a team like Aus though. The Indian and Bangladesh fans live in a more perilous world as an everyday part of their lives. They probably see Australians as hopelessly frightened of everything. Personally, I don't think what the locals or even the govts say matters, I don't think the team should be sent if there is any threat to them at all. It's not worth it.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
That's what I thought, Zim Zam, however the US have issued detailed security information to their citizens in Bangladesh as well so it's probably a generally heightened security issue for Dhaka at the moment.