DHAKA: Bangladesh´s cricket authorities on Friday breathed a sigh of relief as
England an**unced that their
tour to the South Asian nation would go ahead as planned.
The
tour was thrown into doubt
after an Islamist extremist attack on an upscale Dhaka cafe saw 20 -- mostly foreign -- hostages killed, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.
However, the
England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the
tour on Thursday, ending weeks of speculation over the fate of the ****** which includes two Test and three one-day matches in October.
The confirmation followed a visit to
Bangladesh by an ECB security team, which on Thursday briefed the
England players about the situation in Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong -- the venues of the tour.
"I always had a hunch that
England would come and there are a few reasons for that,"
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka.
"England always sent their team. Even in India, they continued playing (after the 2008 attack in Mumbai).
"So
England are **t a team that bow their head down to terrorist activities."
Nazmul promised to provide security **t just to the team, but also to visiting media and English fans.
"We will arrange security for them ** matter where they are, be it in the stadium or next to the hotel, wherever.
"This is the kind of mental readiness we have. We believe that there won´t be any problem with regards to this
England tour," he added.
England are due to arrive in
Bangladesh on September 30, with their schedule also including three warm-up matches - one before the ODIs and two ahead of the Tests.
They are set to leave
Bangladesh on **vember 2 ahead of a five-Test ****** in India starting the following week.
Australia cancelled their
tour of
Bangladesh in October for security reasons and then withdrew their side from the Under-19 World Cup in the country at the start of this year.
England, however, fielded a team in the youth tournament.
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