Cricket Australia has officially postponed its upcoming Test tour of Bangladesh due to security concerns. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive officer, announced the decision late on Thursday evening and said that CA had been left with no alternative after warnings from the Australian government of an increasing security risk for the Australian team in Bangladesh.

"This has been a very difficult decision," Sutherland said. "Following the most recent information from Australian government agencies and our own security advisors, we have decided that, regrettably, we have no alternative but to postpone the tour.

"Over the last few days we have sought to obtain as much information as possible about the risks for Australians travelling to Bangladesh. We had hoped that the security concerns would fade, but unfortunately the advice we have received from government, our own security experts and independent security advisors has clearly indicated that there are now high risks to our people should they make the trip.

"We have worked tirelessly to try to find a way for the tour to proceed, but in the end it was simply not possible. Given the situation, we have now advised the BCB and the International Cricket Council of our decision. We understand that this decision will be very disappointing for the cricket community in Bangladesh.

"However, from an Australian perspective, the safety of our players and officials is our highest priority. We will work with the BCB to reschedule the tour as soon as possible."

Courtesy Cricinfo