Strauss ramps up pressure on Morgan to commit to Bangladesh tour

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds with Andrew Strauss, the team director, saying there can be no guarantees given to anyone who relinquishes their place.

Morgan has been among the players with the most reservations about the trip but Strauss, who had called for a full-strength squad to commit to the tour as soon as it was given the green light last week, reiterated that he would "absolutely" want both England's captains to undertake the Test and ODI legs of the trip.

Alastair Cook has given private assurances that he will lead the Test side, but Morgan's uncertainty seems set to linger into the weekend when England's central- and incremental- contracted players gather for two days of end-of-season fitness assessments and appraisals.

Over the course of those two days, Strauss will ask for a 'yes or no' over a player's willingness to be available for the Bangladesh tour, with the squad now due to be named at the end of next week. The announcement has been pushed back to give players more time after the conclusion of the series against Pakistan.

Though Strauss did not issue any ultimatums - the ECB's stance continues to be that touring is an individual choice - he did acknowledge that being captain brings other responsibilities

"Would I like both our captains to be on that tour? Absolutely, definitely," Strauss said. "The captain has certain roles and responsibilities that are greater than just looking after themselves. He obviously has a duty to the team. But they're still human beings - and I think that's an important point to make. They have their own thoughts, concerns, issues and views on life - and we've got to understand that.

"I can't force anyone onto that plane. I cannot literally force people up the steps and say 'you have to go to Bangladesh'. People have their own decisions to make."

Though Strauss insisted he was not delivering any ultimatums, Morgan may nevertheless wish to consider the subtext in his comments. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, Kevin Pietersen - who was faced with a similar situation during his time as England captain in India in 2008-09 - warned that Morgan would "have a red cross against his name" in ECB circles if he refused to make the trip.

"When the going gets tough for him in the future, with the team losing, or a run of personal low scores, then he will find that the loyalty from his bosses will not be the same because he went against them," Pietersen wrote. "That is just the way it is. In the end it will come back to haunt him."

Alex Hales, another player reported to be uncertain about the tour, has previously said how it is a difficult decision because you are forgoing your place in the side. This is especially true of someone such as Hales, who is struggling to cling to his Test berth, while there are an abundance of young players striving to get in the one-day side even if Hales has just become England's individual record-holder in ODIs.

"I think, at its most simple, the big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to step into your shoes and stake a claim for themselves," Strauss said.

"That's just the same as if someone gets injured, you are out of possession of that spot in the team for a certain period of time, and if someone does really well then you can't give any guarantees.

"But that's a choice people have to make themselves, and they have to weigh up all sorts of different things when they come to this decision. Everyone has a different attitude to risk, different thoughts about what their priorities in life are. That's fine - that's their decision."

Strauss stopped short of saying that a player's decision on the Bangladesh tour would affect their position for the India leg, a situation more relevant to the Test team where the seven matches in Bangladesh and India are being seen in their entirety, but again encouraged them to take heed of the security assessment put together which got the tour approved.

"I'm very assured by the report that Reg gave to me and translated to the players. But everyone will look at that and take their own observations," Strauss said. "I'm still very hopeful that everyone gets on that plane because I believe the security plan we have in place mitigates the risk to an acceptable level.

"I genuinely believe that and that is why I'm encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced view point from Reg to make a judgement."