ECB security chief fears for travel safety on Bangladesh tour

The head of England and Wales Cricket Board's security team is in dilemma to decide whether England's tour of Bangladesh will be safe, reports the UK-based The Telegraph.

The ECB chief security officer, Reg Dickason, is particularly concerned about the travel -- journeys from the airport to the team hotel, and from the team hotel to the ground, according to the newsopaper.

Dickason returned home after a three-day visit to Bangladesh. During the visit, his security team inspected Mirpur, Chittagong and Fatullah stadiums over security issues.

The Telegraph report published on Tuesday said the fate of England’s tour of Bangladesh, which is scheduled to start on the last day of next month, is expected to be decided this week and to hinge on the assessment report by the ECB security chief.

It mentioned that Dickason flew back from Dhaka at the weekend after a fortnight’s inspection of India and Bangladesh, along with the ECB’s head of cricket operations, John Carr, and the chief executive of the professional cricketers association, David Leatherdale.

The report said the three-man delegation was given many assurances of security by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the country’s home ministry ahead of the tour.

The English team are scheduled to play two Tests and three one-day internationals.

The Telegraph reported that it is understood that Dickason’s chief concern is not so much the hotels where England will be staying in Dhaka and Chittagong, or the grounds in those two cities, as they can be cordoned off by the police and military.

"The most potentially dangerous parts of a cricket tour are the journeys from the airport to the team hotel, and from the team hotel to the ground, especially in crowded Asian cities where it is humanly impossible to secure all the buildings overlooking the roads," added the newspaper.