Andrew Strauss was wrong to put pressure on wavering England players over Bangladesh tour

Outside Edge: Morgan and others are mulling over what to do

Eoin Morgan is not expected to feature on England's tour of Bangladesh due to security and safety concerns (Getty)

England’s one-day captain, Eoin Morgan, has overseen something of a renaissance in the team’s fortunes. After 48 matches in charge, he has taken England to 24 victories; and most recently there have been convincing series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan (twice). Last winter’s loss in South Africa was agonisingly close, but in the months since then England have found a sharper cutting edge. Morgan’s batting too has benefitted from the captaincy: he has averaged over 44 when in charge, set against a career ODI average of 37.18.

In this context, there will be concern in the England set-up at the lack of certainty over Morgan’s participation in the upcoming tour to Bangladesh. His decision about whether to travel will, he says, “be based on if I feel safe going out there to play cricket”. The ECB’s security advisers are clear in their belief that safety can be assured. But July’s terror attacks in Dhaka were serious enough to make any sportsman or woman wonder about the real level of risk in the Bangladeshi capital. The England cricket team would presumably make an attractive target for extremists.

The ECB is admirably determined to fulfil the fixtures, barring further incidents. That much was clear from comments by Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, who pointedly reminded players who decide not to tour that they will be giving an opportunity for others to stake a claim. That is true of course, but to state the fact publicly was unnecessary: wavering players ought not to be put under more pressure than they are already feeling.

Duckett surely in contention for England

For good or ill, the possibility that some England stars may choose to stay at home this autumn may have sharpened performances among those on the fringes of the squad. Sure enough, the latest round of Specsaver Championship matches has provided evidence that there are a number of county players champing at the bit for an opportunity.

Among the batting hopefuls, it was Ben Duckett who impressed the most. Having helped Northants to T20 Blast glory last month, and after some startling performances for England Lions in one-day cricket this summer, Duckett struck 208 from just 251 balls against Kent – almost certainly putting paid to Kent’s promotion ambitions in the process. In a relatively low-scoring match his efforts were all the more notable, especially when set against comparative failures by others nursing England ambitions, Kent’s Sam Northeast and Daniel Bell-Drummond.

Ironically, Bell-Drummond shared a record-breaking partnership of 367 with Duckett for the Lions earlier this summer. The Northamptonshire man has probably nudged ahead now. Indeed, 1,263 runs at 63.15 in the Championship is a fine return. He will hope the selectors don’t look askance at the fact that they were scored in Division Two.

In the First Division this week, victories for Yorkshire against Durham and for Middlesex against Nottinghamshire mean that a title decider when the White Rose visits Lord’s later this month is ever more likely. Only a late charge by Somerset has the potential to throw a spanner in the works.

Having not lost all season, a title win for Middlesex would be sweet reward for a remarkable level of consistency. It would also bring a first Championship since 1993. Incredibly, that was the first year of four-day only matches; John Emburey topped the county’s bowling averages and Mike Gatting was very resolutely in charge. For such a big club to have gone so long without the primary domestic title is little short of extraordinary.

If Middlesex do go on to secure the Championship this year, it will add weight to the claims of off-spinner Ollie Rayner for a place in England’s winter touring Test party. After a dismal 2014, Rayner seemed to be the forgotten man among English spin bowlers, having previously been called up to the Lions. In 2015 he was dependable enough, but this summer he has taken 49 wickets at 20.57 in nearly 400 overs, a beneficiary perhaps of this summer’s “no-toss” trial. He is the leading English spinner by average, although Jack Leach would rightly point out that he has taken more wickets and helped to spin Somerset to victory against Warwickshire on Thursday.

By the end of next week, we will know if domestic form counts for much when the touring squads are named. Duckett, Tom Westley, Haseeb Hameed, Rayner and Jack Brooks will be among those staying close to their phones.