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Waiting for board decision on Bangladesh tour - Darren Lehmann

by Andrew Wood Thursday 1 October 2015

Darren Lehmann is waiting for the decision on the upcoming Bangladesh tour, which has been thrown into limbo due to security concerns.

©REUTERS / Action Images

Australian coach Darren Lehmann is waiting for the decision on the upcoming Bangladesh tour, which has been thrown into limbo due to security concerns.

Following a security update by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Cricket Australia (CA) had sent a team to assess the situation in Bangladesh.

The team has returned to Australia and is currently interacting with CA and their respective government authorities to give their update on the situation.

Admitting that there is a high level of uncertainty over the tour, Lehmann feels that the safety of the players and the staff should come first.

“It’s getting pretty tight now, to be honest,” Lehmann told 5AA radio.

“At the end of the day we have to wait and see what the boards and the security come up with, but we have to make the right decision for player and staff safety.

Lehmann also revealed that CA is expected give an answer regarding the status of the tour within the next 24 hours.

“We’re still on hold.

“The security guys got back from Bangladesh today so they’re obviously speaking to board as we speak.

“Hopefully we come to some sort of answer in the next 24 hours or so.”

With the retirements of the senior members of the Australian Test squad following the 2015 Ashes, a few youngsters have been included for the tour of Bangladesh.

Lehmann further iterated that it will be exciting to see the young squad in action if the tour does go ahead as planned.

“The young side is exciting,” he said.

“It will be an exciting time if we get there and play, if we don’t we’ll go to plan B.

“I can’t say what plan B is.

“But they’re back in their state squads at the moment.

“We’ve put them back into training with their state sides and we’ll make a decision from there.”

On Monday, an Italian aid worker was shot dead in Dhaka, with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) reportedly claiming responsibility for the attack.

A DFAT spokesperson has cited this particular incident to vindicate the credibility of the current threat in Bangladesh.

"We are aware that the ISIL has claimed responsibility for this attack," a DFAT spokesperson said in a statement.

"If confirmed, this further highlights the credible and serious nature of the current threat."

However the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Nazmul Hasan stated that this incident cannot be used as a marker to judge the security arrangements made for the Australian team.

"After the murder of the Italian citizen, the security team might have been a little concerned since these instances are very rare in Dhaka.

"But you can't compare this incident to a scenario where a team will get full protection.

“I don't see any reason for them to be scared.”

The Bangladesh government has agreed to provide the Australian team with the same level of security that is usually reserved for visiting heads of states.