Former England captain Graham Gooch believes Eoin Morgan can still play international cricket again following his withdrawal from the team’s upcoming tour of Bangladesh on security grounds.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Sunday that one-day international captain Morgan and opening batsman Alex Hales had informed director Andrew Strauss they were unavailable for the trip.
The tour, which begins on September 30 and will include two Tests and three ODIs, had been called into question after an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July which saw 20 hostages killed, including 18 foreigners.
“I don’t think (his career) is done,” Gooch told talkSPORT radio yesterday when discussing Morgan’s would England future.
“In this situation when you give your place up, someone else will come in. You give an opportunity and a chance to someone else.”
Gooch had some sympathy for Morgan and Hales but added he understood why the ECB were keen for the tour to proceed after it was given the go-ahead following a visit to Bangladesh by team security chief Reg Dickason.
“It’s not a clear-cut decision because if people can’t concentrate on the cricket and keep their mind on the job, there’s no point having them there,” said Gooch.
“You also can’t just cancel tours willy-nilly. Reg Dickason, who is a good friend of mine, is the security officer and I would trust what he has to say.
“It’s a dangerous world we live in, whether you’re in Europe, Asia or anywhere, and you can’t force anyone to go,” said Gooch.
Meanwhile Michael Vaughan, another former England captain, questioned how Morgan could skipper an England side again after opting out of going to Bangladesh.
“One main trait of a strong leader is they never ask a teammate to do something they would not do themselves,” Vaughan wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
“This is why Morgan has made a huge mistake. The players will support him in the press, but there will be a little thought at the back of their minds that he went missing at a difficult time for the side.
“You tell (your team) to be strong so they can go the extra yard,” he said.
“I do not see how he can look them in the eye and ask them to do that in the future.”
Kevin Pietersen, England’s captain when they continued with their 2008 tour of India following the Mumbai terror attacks, tweeted: “Very very courageous decision by Eoin anyway! Right or wrong, he was given a choice.”
England all-rounder David Willey accepted teammates Morgan and Hales had the right not to tour. “It is an individual decision,” he told Sky Sports. “They have their reasons and that is fine.”