England tour of Bangladesh to go ahead after security assessment

An attack in Dhaka last month saw 20 hostages killed

England coach Bayliss and captain Cook (Getty)

England's tour of Bangladesh this autumn will go ahead despite recent security concerns.

Militant group Islamic State said it carried out an attack in Dhaka last month which saw 20 hostages killed, including nine Italian citizens, and there are fears of further incidents targeting westerners.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board tweeted on Thursday: "We can confirm that englandcricket's tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned."

Concerns over playing in the country spiked with July's attack, which also saw two police officers killed.

England have two Tests and three one-day internationals planned, in Dhaka and Chittagong, between October 7 and November 1.

The ECB has assessed the situation, just as it did when faced with difficult situations on previous overseas trips.

England class of 2003 declined to go to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup, at the eventual cost of their own progress in the competition, and five years later Andrew Strauss' side returned to India to complete a Test series that had been thrown into doubt by the Mumbai terror attacks.

In India they were thanked for coming back to the country, with Sachin Tendulkar praising England's actions after he led an emotionally-charged victory in Chennai.

Bangladesh limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza made a personal call this week, asking England to bring their cricketers to a troubled country that values the sport as highly as any other on the circuit.

However, Cricket Australia postponed a scheduled trip last winter citing specific, credible threats against its team.

PA