Andrew Strauss puts England players under pressure to travel to Bangladesh

With less than a month to go before England’s tour to Bangladesh is scheduled to kick off, the uncertainty regarding the availability of their senior players does not seem to abate. Ahead of the Saturday deadline, Team Director Andrew Strauss has subtly warned those who rule themselves out of contention.

The 39-year old will meet every player in the selectors’ radar at ECB’s national cricket academy in Loughborough over the course of this week in order to ascertain their position before the squads are finalized on the 16th.

Following a meticulous security assessment by a three-member panel led by Reg Dickason, the tour comprising of 3 ODIs and 2 Tests was given the go ahead. However, the prospect of sending full strength teams remains in considerable doubt.

Strauss was quoted by the Guardian as saying, “We feel it’s safe to go and I genuinely believe that and that is why I’m encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced viewpoint from Reg to make a judgment. I think if you’re making your own opinions, based on your own perceptions, then you’re in a bit more of a grey area there. That’s why I’m urging the players to take Reg’s advice, and follow that advice and I’m still hopeful players will do that.”

He added, “I can’t force anyone up the steps to the plane and say – ‘You have to go to Bangladesh.’ People have their own decisions to make. I think, at its most simple level, the big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to step into your shoes and stake a claim for themselves.”

A couple of days back, Kevin Pietersen had cautioned limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan of possible ramifications from ECB’s top brass after his uncertain stance. With Test captain Alastair Cook reportedly eager to tour Bangladesh, there could be a bit of scrutiny if he decides to pull out.

Vindicating Pietersen’s statements, Strauss declared, “Would I like both our captains to be on that tour? Absolutely, definitely. The captain has certain roles and responsibilities that are greater than just looking after themselves. He (Morgan) obviously has a duty to the team. But, they're still human beings and I think that's an important point to make. They have their own thoughts, concerns, issues and views on life and we've got to understand that.”