Australia pull out of U19 World Cup
TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 26: Australian players celebrate the wicket of Vijay Zol of India during the 2012 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and India at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 26, 2012 in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
AUSTRALIA have pulled out of the U19 World Cup because of safety and security concerns in Bangladesh.
The tournament, which starts later this month, will be held in the sub-continent country and Cricket Australia postponed the Test team’s tour of Bangladesh for safety reasons in October.
CA chief executive James Sutherland said: “Safety and security of Australian teams and officials is our number one priority.
“Regrettably, the advice from our Government suggests that the security threat to Australians travelling to Bangladesh remains as high now as it was when we postponed the Test team’s tour of that country late last year.
“Included in that is reliable information suggesting there is a high threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh. With all of the information and advice we have received, we feel we had no alternative other than to make this difficult decision.”
Ireland have been invited to replace Australia in the tournament while England and Scotland are still scheduled to take part.