Kevin Pietersen claims he would not want to tour Bangladesh despite security clearance

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has expressed reservations over England's tour to Bangladesh, claiming that some players will not want to tour the sub-continent nation despite reassurances over security being given by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The ECB had confirmed on Thursday that the Test and ODI tour of the country would go ahead as planned after the security delegation was assured by the Bangladesh government on security matters. But Pietersen felt that despite such assurances, he would not go if he was playing and that senior England players, especially those with families, would not be too keen.

"It's not somewhere I'd like to be for the next six weeks. The young ODI side might not have too many issues, but the older Test side might have a few issues. Some of the older guys might have kids and other responsibilities, and might think 'How can I get out of going to Bangladesh?'. They might think of this as an opportunity to get out of a Bangladesh tour. They'll be looking at it now. I know a lot of journalists don't want to go to Bangladesh. So it's going to be tough", Pietersen said to ESPNCricinfo.

"This is going to be one of the hardest decisions Alastair Cook has to make. Would I want to go? No. But I don't think one guy can pull out. If one goes, you've all got to go. It would be difficult to pull out of the tour", Pietersen added.

The 36-year-old was the captain of the England team that toured India, when the Mumbai terror attacks happened, prompting the Three Lions to return home. England, however, made a return to India soon after, earning considerable gratitude from the public and authorities in India.

England are set to visit Bangladesh for a month-long tour consisting of three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches. The first ODI is scheduled to take place on 7 October at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur.