London - England team manager Andrew Strauss has declared
that while he understands and respects the decisions of Eoin Morgan and Alex
Hales not to tour Bangladesh he is disappointed.
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced the duo's
decision on Sunday night, although the information had leaked to the media late
last week causing a social media frenzy.
The bilateral tour to Bangladesh will include two Tests and
three ODIs and was given the go-ahead after an ECB security review.
After former captain Kevin Pietersen warned Morgan of the
backlash of not touring, another former skipper Michael Vaughan used his
Telegraph column to describe the decision as a 'huge mistake'.
Hales withdrawal could spell the end of his run in the Test
team with the opener almost certain to miss out on the tour to India that
follows hot on the heels of the trip to Bangladesh.
Strauss said in a statement: "While we understand and
respect Eoin and Alex's decision, we are disappointed that they have made themselves
unavailable for selection for the Bangladesh tour."
The team manager had held discussions with all players in
line to be selected for the tour while players on incremental or central
contracts conducted their annual appraisals at Loughborough over the weekend.
Strauss continued: "We have had open and honest
conversations with all the players about the security arrangements in
Bangladesh - and at this stage we are not expecting any other individuals to
withdraw from the tour.
"Final selection for the Bangladesh tour will now take
place on Friday.
"As with all England overseas tours, the safety and
security of players and staff is of the utmost importance to ECB. We will
continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, take advice and consider the
appropriate steps up to and throughout the five weeks we are on tour."
All-rounder Ben Stokes was quick to take to Twitter to issue
a statement supporting his skipper and team-mate.
The Durham man posted: "I will always back, not just my
captain but also any fellow team-mate's decision on matters like this.
"They have both obviously thought long and hard about
this important decision and have both made the call that is right for them as
individuals.
"Please try and respect their choice, I do, as a colleague
and as friend to them both."
Hales' decision opens the door for Northamptonshire's Ben Duckett who has been prolific this season while Morgan's withdrawal will like see Jonny Bairstow slot into the XI.