England's winter tour of Bangladesh to go ahead despite security concerns

England will tour Bangladesh this winter despite security concerns. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the much-discussed winter tour will go ahead as planned after a security review was carried out in the country.

The tour was in jeopardy in light of a series of deadly attacks in Bangladesh, including one in July in Dhaka in which 20 hostages died when a cafe was attacked. England, for their part, are scheduled to play two Test matches and three one-day internationals between 7 October and 1 November.

"Safety and security of players and management are always paramount," ECB cricket director Andrew Strauss said in a statement. "We've received a thorough risk assessment, had excellent insight into the current situation and been fully briefed on security commitments.

"We discussed details with the players and management in an open meeting. They asked lots of questions, have time to ask more and will clearly want to take it all in – we understand that."

Strauss confirmed England's touring squad will be revealed after the ongoing limited-overs series against Pakistan. He said, too, that the ECB will "continue to monitor the situation right up to and throughout the tour".

Earlier this week, meanwhile, England one-day captain Eoin Morgan insisted no player will be forced to tour Bangladesh this winter. "I don't think anybody will ever be forced to go on a particular tour," Morgan told BBC Radio 5 live. "I think it's important for us to get together as a group, and be informed by people who we trust in order to make the right decisions and go from there."