PCA chief warns of player safety issues

The chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association has admitted he is "seriously concerned" about the threat of terrorism to professional cricketers.

Angus Porter, who runs the players' union in England and Wales, described terrorism as "the greatest risk to players" and said he considers it a greater threat than impact injuries caused by the ball.

"We have worked hard in minimising the chances of serious injury to players from impact injuries from the ball, and quite rightly," Porter told ESPNcricinfo. "But history would suggest that such incidents, thankfully, are few and far between.

"The greatest risk to players lies in terrorist attacks. I am very worried about it."

Of particular concern to Porter at present is the welfare of players taking part in the Bangladesh Premier League. With the UK Foreign Office currently warning of a "high threat from terrorism" in Bangladesh and advising British citizens to maintain "a low profile in all public spaces", the ECB and PCA made each England-qualified player sign a disclaimer before they were provided the No Objection Certificate required to participate. Australia also recently withdrew from their tour of Bangladesh due to security fears.

"I am worried right now about those players who have gone to play in the Bangladesh Premier League," Porter said. "In light of the global situation and Foreign Office advice, we informed all players about the situation and asked them to confirm in writing that they understood the situation and the risks.

"We will always err on the side of letting players make their own decisions, but we are very uneasy about their involvement at this time."

Attacks on sporting teams are nothing new. The 1972 Olympics was overshadowed by the murder of Israeli athletes while eight were killed when the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked in Lahore in 2009. But recent events in Paris, where a football match between France and Germany was one of the targets, has heightened concerns and provided a reminder of the need for tight security. ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC's security assessment of World T20 venues will take place this week.

"Am I concerned about the World T20? Yes, absolutely," Porter said. "I don't know whether Pakistan will take part, but I can see that there is a realistic chance that they won't."