Jonny Bairstow is first English player to say publicly he’s happy to tour Bangladesh – as skipper Eoin Morgan stalls

JONNY BAIRSTOW has become the first England player to state publicly that he is happy to go to Bangladesh.

Yorkshire wicketkeeper Bairstow – Man of the Match in the win over Pakistan on Thursday – says he trusts the safety assurances he has been given.

Other England players have so far refused to commit to visiting the troubled country at the end of the month for three one-dayers and two Tests.

White ball skipper Eoin Morgan continues to stall more than week after players were told Bangladesh was safe at a briefing by ECB security chief Reg Dickason.

Bairstow’s positive pronouncement is good news for England supremo Andrew Strauss, who remains confident most players will board the plane.

Senior stars such as Test captain Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and James Anderson are all expected to fall into line.

Bairstow said: “I’ve not made a 100 per cent decision but I have a lot of faith in Reggie. I’ve been on a heck of a lot of tours with him, he’s known me since I was a young boy.

“I’ve been asking questions regularly, that’s only natural. You have to ask questions because otherwise you don’t have peace of mind.

“There’s still a decision to be made but, at the same time, I’m pretty confident in the decision I’ll make and that it will be a positive one. Are you going? Well, hopefully we’ll see you there.

“The world is not necessarily the safest place, that’s in England, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh. Everyone has different questions because you don’t want to be worrying about external factors when you’re on the pitch. If you’re playing and worrying about X, Y and Z off the pitch, you’re not going to do yourself justice.

“We had a meeting in Leeds on Wednesday but it lasted about three minutes. It went smoothly.

“Reg is an expert in his field. He’s been involved with England cricket and world security for a long time. If he wasn’t an expert, he wouldn’t be employed to do what he does. The detail I know he has gone into – because I’ve asked questions about it – is fantastic.”

The grounds and team hotels will be protected by hundreds of armed guards and many roads will be traffic-free on journeys in the team bus. Players have even been told it should be safe to play golf while in Bangladesh.

Bairstow’s upbeat message contrasts with Morgan’s reticence. It would be hugely embarrassing to England if one of their captains stayed at home.

But Morgan insists being skipper makes no difference.

He said: “No, absolutely not. It’s completely an individual thing. Everybody will stand by whoever wants to go or not.

“In the past week, we’ve not had a great deal of time to think about it. I think we’ll take as much time as we need to make a decision and to feel comfortable and safe.

“Reluctant isn’t the word. When so much information is thrown at you within two months of a terrorist attack in a country, you need to digest everything and be settled within yourself so you can go there and concentrate on cricket.
“I haven’t made my mind up. I’ll be taking as much time as I need.”

England go for a 5-0 whitewash and an unbeaten summer of 50-over cricket in the final one-dayer against Pakistan in Cardiff on Sunday.

Jonny Bairstow was speaking at his first club, Dunnington CC, on behalf of Hardys wine & their Heartbeat of the Club campaign. Find out more at @HardysWineUK