Who Are We To Criticise Morgan & Hales?

Oh Lordy. The shit has hit the fan. Yesterday evening the ECB revealed that Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales have decided to skip the Bangladesh tour due to security concerns. Both players’ places were under pressure so it’s not a decision they would’ve taken lightly. Hales might have expected to be dropped from the test team anyway but he’s now taken the decision out of the selectors’ hands.

A few days ago, Andrew Strauss claimed there would be no hard feelings if individuals decided to skip Bangladesh. So everyone’s just accepted Morgan and Hales’ decision, right? Wrong. There has been a mass outpouring of vitriol against them on social media, criticism from mainstream journalists (many of whom are actually going themselves) and the ECB say they’re “disappointed” with their decision.

So let’s just get this straight. The ECB claim players can make their own mind up – which implies it’s a subjective judgement and Bangladesh might not as safe as other places England tour – and then when the ODI captain and one of the test openers actually duck out (perhaps because the ECB gave mixed signals) their decision is described as “disappointing”. Hmmmm. That doesn’t sound particularly fair to me.

Eoin Morgan has been at the centre of this storm because he claimed he was spooked by his proximity to a bomb during the IPL once; therefore he has some experience of terrorism. This has enabled his critics to say “ahhhh, but you still went back the next year to claim all those rupees didn’t you!”. Others are saying that because he’s England captain he has a duty to tour … if only he had half the backbone of Alastair Cook.

Although Morgan probably would’ve done well to avoid talking about the IPL, we need to remember two things here: firstly, Morgan isn’t ducking out of the second leg of England’s winter. He’s still going to tour India (unless the ECB decide to punish him for going against the grain). Secondly, the security situation in India is different to Bangladesh. No country has pulled out of a tour of India.

In case you didn’t know, Australia have decided not to tour Bangladesh twice in recent history – they decided not to send the full international team there last year and then their U19s didn’t travel to the junior world cup just a few months ago. Morgan and Hales might wonder why the ECB say Bangladesh is safe but the ACB do not? Especially as there has been further bloodshed since the Aussies made their decision.

It’s also important to note that the foreign office advice about travelling to both countries is different. Although there’s apparently a heightened risk of terrorism in both countries, the foreign office points out that “the main focus of attacks” in India have been “Indian interests”. There is no mention of groups like ISIL and Al Qaeda plus there hasn’t been an attack of any kind in India for over a year.

The foreign office advice on Bangladesh is slightly more concerning. I quote: “crowded areas and places where westerners are known to gather may be at higher risk”. This sounds awfully like a cricket ground to me. What’s more, there has been an attack in Bangladesh as recently as July, and the foreign office says that ISIL and groups affiliated with Al Qaeda are active in the country. Read the report for yourself and then decide whether you fancy booking yourself a trip to watch England play there.

I am not, by the way, saying that Morgan and Hales are right to avoid Bangladesh. I’m not saying I would’ve made the same decision. What I’m saying is that I understand their position and I don’t think they should be criticised for making it – especially after Strauss initially said they could do so without prejudice. It’s a personal choice and a subjective judgement. They’ll have to live with the consequences of their decision so let’s leave them alone. Let’s not forget that it’s only bloody cricket. It shouldn’t be a matter of life and death.

There are plenty of good arguments on both sides of this debate. It’s a really tricky one and it’s nowhere near as black and white as a number of observers who should know better have claimed. I completely understand the argument that terrorists win if people get scared and change their plans. I also accept that nowhere on earth is 100% safe – although some places are obviously safer than others.

However, because this is such as nuanced and complex dilemma, I don’t think anyone should be condemned for interpreting the evidence differently from the majority. Who knows what pressure Morgan’s family has put him under? Who knows whether it’s Hales himself who has driven his decision? It’s hard to ignore the concerns of one’s loved ones.

I’ll leave you with one thought. If my wife and kids didn’t want me to go to Bangladesh because they were anxious I simply wouldn’t go – even if I personally believed it was safe. Why? Because some things are more important than cricket. And family is one of them.

Sure some people are going to adopt a more ballsy and robust attitude. I respect their views. But people are different and it’s these differences of opinion that make the world go round. Therefore, to dismiss Morgan and Hales as cowards, or pick holes in their decision, seems incredibly unfair. The Australians made their subjective judgement so let Morgan and Hales make theirs.

James Morgan

24 comments

  • I thought it interesting that Morgan said he found it difficult to concentrate on the cricket after the bomb attack that he was close to a few years ago and his mind was not really on the job. That seems to me to be a good reason to decide not to go. Hales never strikes me as the most confident of characters and maybe he felt the same would happen to him. I certainly don’t blame them for not going.

    • Absolutely. Really hard to perform if you’re looking over your shoulder all the time. Shameful call by the ECB, not Morgan & Hales.

  • My view is that it’s disgraceful that the ECB puts the players in this position. Let’s face it, it’s dangerous, especially if you’re Western, so why take the risk just to play cricket? If you have to call in security experts and their report, as it does, suggests it’s a pretty marginal call, then you shouldn’t be touring. As ever, the ECB totally lacks spine and has put political and financial interests first. Shame also on Michael Vaughan for his article in today’s Telegraph:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2016/09/11/an-england-captains-job-is-to-lead-the-team—eoin-morgans-bangl/

    This isn’t the effing army. As you say James, some things – your own life and the well-being of your family being two – are more important.

    • Just read Michael Vaughan’s piece. As you say, shameful. Leading a team in difficult circumstances is not how I would describe it, if there is an Isis-inspired attack with automatic weapons, like the Bataclan. And as for the thought that Morgan would lose the respect of the team, that cuts both ways; they may even now be wondering whether they have weighed the evidence as thoughtfully as he. A good commander does not lead his men into the Valley of Death, given a choice.

  • We don’t know what it was that Mr Dickason told the players (or the ECB, which might have been different). Nor do we know how it stacks up against what the Foreign Office says. or the information that the Australians acted on. You are right to highlight the differences between the FCO page on India and the one on Bangladesh. It is obvious that a cricket ground with a Western team on display is exactly the sort of place that tallies with the FCO description of locations to avoid. I have never been able to shake out of my mind what a friend in the SAS told me years ago, that there was a permanent worry that the Queen would “take one through the swede” when reviewing the troops from her exposed position on a horse on Horseguards Parade. You just have translate that to a batsman taking guard at Dhaka, and the concern remains.

  • I would be interested to hear what the ECB would say if Joe Root decided not to tour, or Ben Stokes perhaps? 2 nailed on spots in any side in any format so couldn’t see either being dropped.

    I heard Mal Loye being interviewed on the Twat and Moron show (I mean Tuffers and Vaughan of course) and he said that he was advised to take a different route to work each morning !

    • Re the Mal Loye comments: I think it is the travelling to and from the grounds that is the real concern. The hotel and the grounds can be protected more effectively than a travel route. That was how the SL team were attacked in Pakistan after all.

      Morgan’s comments about the bomb going off in the ground have been widely reported. What’s been less reported is that he added that the team bus then became stuck in a traffic jam outside the ground.

      I’d also add that several journalists have been adamant on Twitter that Hales was going to be dropped from the Test side anyway.

  • Tough call, and you have to have some sympathy for both players. Hales’ test place is clearly under threat, and the stand in opener (Hameed?) has an open platform to take it from him. Equally, Morgan hasn’t been making runs lately, so his place might be under threat (though the results suggest he’s a good captain). I think there are contradictions in his position, which you’ve referred to, though.

    However, I can also understand the ECB’s desire to tour Bangladesh, which will help the long term development of cricket there (you hope).

    • ” Equally, Morgan hasn’t been making runs lately”.

      Sorry, but that’s just factually incorrect – Morgan averages 40 in the last 12 months and 44 in the last 6 months in ODIs.

      • I’ve no issue with Morgan (or Hales) choosing not to go to Bangladesh. Regarding his average it’s 24.22 away from home in the last year.

        • Shall we try getting this right? His ODI average since 11th September 2015 is 35.93 (SR 85.69). Overseas, which is to say in South Africa, the figures are 12.80 (SR 74.41). In T20s, the total picture over the same period is 36.33 (SR 121.11) and away from home 24.00 at SR 137.14 in two innings.

          • Simon’s stats were also correct insofar as they refer to the 12 months from 5 September 2015 to 4 September 2016 (date of last ODI), and over that period Morgan’s average was 40.11. Over the last six months, his average was 44.00. Information courtesy of Cricinfo Statsguru.

            • Simon’s were correct, for the 12 months ending on 4th September. That is not how he described them. 8th September 2015 (when Morgan made 56 against Australia) is not within the last twelve months. However, I don’t disagree with Simon’s overall point that people who disapprove of Morgan’s decision have misrepresented his stats. It seems to go with the territory.

  • The reaction to the decision by Morgan and Hales demonstrates precisely why the current leadership of English cricket is unfit to lead an U11 tour of Surrey, never mind an England tour of the sub continent. Regardless of whether you believe Morgan and Hales decision is right or wrong it is inexcusable that Strauss and his minions give one message in public (you can choose without fear of consequences) and then use their mouthpieces in the press and amongst former colleagues to berate Morgan and Hales for doing just that. Any senior exec/director knows that the one way to lose their staff’s support is to say one thing and do another.

    Strauss and the other guilty parties should resign from their posts and let some proper leaders take English cricket forward.

  • Quite right – it isn’t the Armed Forces, nor a foreign aid organisation. Why risk being blown up just to play cricket? And there is no defence against suicide bombers. As was said in the context of Northern Ireland many years ago, the terrorists only have to get lucky once.

  • The problem I have with the ECB is that they said previously that players were free to skip the tour. Just saying this suggests that Bangladesh isn’t as safe as other countries England tour. Then they turn around and say their advice is that it’s actually perfectly safe. Make your minds up! It’s mixed messages in my book. Either security is an issue or it isn’t.

    • I thought the ECB (in the form of one of their security people interviewed on the radio — can’t remember if it was ‘Tuffers & Vaughan’ or ‘Stumped’) had previously said that players were free to opt out of this tour, just as they are out of any tour, that the security briefing is a standard part of preparing for any overseas trip.

      It’s natural for the ECB to want to be able to field their best team, and therefore for it to be disappointing that a couple of players aren’t available — just as they would be if a player were ill or on paternity leave or whatever. That isn’t the same as criticising their decision.

      I do agree that Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales don’t deserve criticism for this, and think your points about their families are spot on.

      Do we have to criticize somebody? Couldn’t we criticize neither the ECB nor the non-touring players?

      • You are simply too generous. There was no need for the ECB to say they were disappointed; they could have just said that they understood the decision (since it was in line with their previous statements that the players had a choice). By expressing disappointment and making reference to ‘conversations with the players’ the ECB were sending a message. You do not have to have dealt with PR professionals to understand what they are up to (although I have and can detect their greasy fingerprints). And they have made the situation worse by briefing through their tame placemen in the media. The sort of response we have seen does not come together by accident.

        If Cook is to retain the respect of his team he will be kicking Strauss hard behind the scenes and making clear his support for Morgan and Hales. It comes to a thing when the best statement made in this affair has been Ben Stokes response who said, ” I will always back not just my captain but also any fellow team-mates decision on matters like this.”

    • Exactly. The players should never have been put in this position.
      I support Morgan and Hales in their decision and I wish the team and all those following a safe and successful tour.

  • Excellent question. We can’t criticise. We don’t know what’s going through Morgan’s and Hales’ heads. Best point I’ve seen is Morgan’s being distracted from playing his best – OK three balls left in the over, let’s hope there’s no trouble in the crowd, concentrate, ignore, focus, trust the security…..

  • This has been badly handled

    Didn’t we travel to Bangladesh without captain Andrew Strauss and Jimmy Anderson last time because the ECB wanted to rest them?

    Okay, Strauss was captain in both formats but you could easily have given Morgan a break.

    If Hales had been told he’d been dropped from the Test team, give him the option to rest up rather than flying out for the ODIs to ensure his head is right for India.

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