Cricket Australia has officially announced that it has postponed its tour of Bangladesh over security and safety concerns.
Confirming the news, CA CEO James Sutherland said that CA was left with no other option following repeated security-related warnings by Australian officials.
"This has been a very difficult decision. Following the most recent information from Australian Government agencies and our own security advisors, we have decided that, regrettably, we have no alternative but to postpone the tour," Sutherland was quoted, as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Sutherland said there was a clear indication by Australian security experts that there is a high risk to Australian players in Bangladesh, and added that it was quite disappointing to find that external threats had affected their two-match Test series.
"Over the last few days we have sought to obtain as much information as possible about the risks for Australians travelling to Bangladesh. We had hoped that the security concerns would fade, but unfortunately, the advice we have received from government, our own security experts and independent security advisers has clearly indicated that there are now high risks to our people should they make the trip," he added.
Sutherland further admitted that CA had worked endlessly to carry on with the tour, but added that keeping players' security in mind, they had decided to postpone the tour as of now.
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"It was by no means a call made lightly; it was made based on the recommendations of experts from a variety of organisations, including DFAT, CA's security team, and independent security assessors. Ultimately it was determined that the risk to the safety of players and support staff was too great for the tour to go ahead," Sutherland said.
According to reports, Australian players will now play in next week's Matador Cup one-day tournament.
According to the original schedule, Australia were scheduled to play a three-day warm up game in Fatullah from October 3, before taking Bangladesh on in two Tests at Chittagong and Mirpur.