In normal circumstances Alastair Cook might have contemplated skipping Englands Test tour of Bangladesh next month. His wife, Alice, is expecting their second child. Just as he first led England when Andrew Strauss rested out the tour seven years ago, it might have been an opportunity for Cook to take a short break and concentrate on impending fatherhood while England blooded Joe Root in the role.But these are no ordinary times. The participation of England players in the Bangladesh tour cannot yet be guaranteed because of safety concerns. Strauss, now Englands director cricket, will have gratefully received a guarantee from Cook that he will tour. The England captaincy can come with professional obligations and Cook has pushed aside personal considerations to fulfil them. England will hope that others follow his lead.That Bangladesh is facing a critical moment in its history - certainly its cricketing history - is apparent. Pakistan have not played a Test at home since the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Bangladesh could easily follow, thanks merely to enough signs of general unrest. And that unrest was evident when 20 people died in an attack on a Dhaka restaurant popular with Westerners in July. At least seven militants armed with bombs, guns and knives stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery. TripAdvisor reviews spoke of a secret garden, a treasured escape offering good food and coffee. No longer.The ECBs decision to press ahead with the tour is based on professional analysis. Nobody can fairly suggest the good of the game has been put ahead of the well-being of the players. A security delegation led by the ECBs security advisor Reg Dickason has visited Bangladesh, Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice has been received, the risk assessment has been studied, and from that a recommendation has been made. Not only have the players been briefed, but the media, and wives and girlfriends too.Now it is down to the chats between Englands players and those close to them. Do not underplay what will be taking place in sitting rooms across the country and in telephone calls from England hotels. There will be occasions when staunch shows of support will mingle with a few tears and admissions of concern; when the desire to make a logical decision, to find perspective, to show the low-level courage expected, will have to combat the nagging sense of guilt about the hurt that would be left behind if, against all odds, something went wrong.According to Mal Loye, a former England batsman, and until recently Bangladeshs high-performance head coach, Englands cricketers should definitely go for it and fulfil the tour. The only drawback has been Loyes lurid tale of how Islamic State terrorists had plotted to murder the Australian cricket squad. According to Loye, the plans were thwarted when Australia cancelled the tour. Not so, Cricket Australia has responded: the threat against Westerners was general, not specific. But most England players will have read it. And mud sticks.Im sure when the England boys get there, things will be sorted, Loye said. I was a Westerner on my own but the way the guys will be looked after, they should definitely go for it. But Englands players will be aware that Loye left his Bangladesh post because of fears about his safety. It is hardly the most comforting story as they muse upon ECB advice that the tour can go ahead without unduly compromising their safety.Dickason, supported by Foreign Office advice, is the person best placed to answer that. As Englands security advisor, he has been a recognisable figure on Englands tours for many years. He takes his responsibilities seriously and knows the players as friends and colleagues. His input is worthy of utmost respect. It is in everybodys interests that Englands players are protected, but as much as the ECB - and the Professional Cricketers Association - are convinced that the right decision has been made, some disquiet is inevitable.Risk aversion is a natural human response, but we think differently when our own country is involved. In such cases we routinely adopt a fatalistic manner. When the IRA was bombing the British mainland in the 1980s, bringing fear to Birmingham and Brighton, England would have been appalled if a visiting cricket team had cancelled a tour. After the London terrorist bombings in 2005, Australia decided to fulfil the Ashes tour: England blithely assumed they would, and had they not, it would have been seen not just as betrayal but as nonsensical. A fortnight later, Australias captain, Ricky Ponting, was so concerned by another terror alert that he wanted to halt the Lords Test to check on the well-being of wives and girlfriends out shopping in central London. The MCC refused, but promised to ensure their safety. In England we were just enjoying the cricket.The European football championship took place in France earlier this year against a backdrop of terrorist attacks. Frances determinedly secular state has made it a favoured target of IS. But nobody suggested that Englands football team should not travel. Fans informed that they were potential targets travelled in their thousands. It was common knowledge that the Stade de France had been evacuated the previous November after a terror attack was foiled during a friendly international between France and Germany. But fans travelled and a minority of them engaged in drunken displays of hooliganism, silly charges towards potential trouble and nationalistic chants as if nothing had changed.All over the world troubles seem to be flaring. Liam Plunkett, the England fast bowler, observed as much this week as he wrestled with his own conscience. Terrorism in Bangladesh, though, is more likely to be interpreted from afar as being emblematic of social collapse, or at least the danger of it. One killing by a terrorist in Bangladesh is more likely to cause a collapse of trust in England than ten such killings in France, or 100 on our own shores. In this world, young England cricketers, taken out of their comfort zone, must make their decisions.It is all too easy on such occasions to be consumed by exaggerated fears. In the UK, by and large we have it comparatively easy, and we possess a colossal sense of entitlement. Risk is not something many feel they should ever have to contend with, except when they choose to. No-win-no-pay lawyers swarm around accidental injuries. For the average Brit, even crossing the road in India is regarded as an unfair imposition. I freely admit that I once took a trishaw in Nagpur merely to get from one side of the road to the other.But perspective is everything. Among the most unnerving moments in my life have been the two occasions when my wife and I allowed our children to leave the house independently for the first time. In the minutes that followed, dangers lurked about sexual predators, speeding motorists, or even (for the most jittery) rotting trees. Or you could recognise that their independence was precious, that the dangers were overstated, that the odds were heavily stacked in their favour, and that the journey had to be taken: life had to be lived.The point is that no parent can guarantee the support of their offspring, and no sporting governing body can guarantee the safety of the players under their supervision. All they can do is show a clear duty of care, assess the risks and promote freedom where they can. Such support was largely shown by cricket to Sri Lanka for 20 years and more of civil war, and thanks to the maintenance of faith, the international game survived in that country.Englands tour of Bangladesh seems to be a similar life choice. The tragic death of Phillip Hughes two years ago was a terrible reminder of the risks that cricketers routinely face without complaint. But cricketers who can face a cricket ball propelled at 90mph with relish can be spooked when real life intervenes. Most know life primarily as a game, where the laws are laid down, structures are set in place and the process can be taken for granted. Individuality flourishes but within a set framework. Philosophically assessing whether a tour of Bangladesh should be undertaken is not something they have been trained for.It is likely that England will travel, and do so surrounded by stifling security. Three ODIs, two Tests, straight in, straight out. Obligation fulfilled. They will be confined to hotels and cricket grounds and will travel quickly with sirens blaring, although frankly, on Englands last Test tour to Bangladesh they pretty much confined themselves anyway. Traffic gridlock in both Dhaka and Chittagong tends to discourage talk of a night out, especially when there is a Test to win.Nothing can entirely be taken for granted especially as Englands view of its place in the world has shifted - and cricket should be concerned about that rather than glory in the fact. Just as the ECB has a duty of care to the players, so the players have a duty of care to the game, but social changes suggest such recognition might no longer be so powerful. Control of the world game has long been ceded to India. These days England thinks largely about itself.The United Kingdoms vote to leave the European Union was a complex affair but it possessed at least a smattering of xenophobia. Social media has become a powerful echo chamber in which the gaining of knowledge often comes second to the heightening of prejudices. Whether refugees from war-torn Syria deserve compassion is a source of passionate debate, and acceptance of more than a token number of refugees, however deserving, is seen as political suicide. Suggestions that the UKs foreign-aid budget be cut from 1% to 0.7% have been floated without much protest. There is an underlying feel of a drawbridge being raised, of looking after your own, of adopting a defensive posture against growing volatility, of reducing a sense of duty to the world. Such shifts are bound to permeate the consciousness of at least some England players. It is fortunate for cricket therefore that, in Strauss, the English game possesses a figurehead capable of taking a broader perspective. Strauss was in India in 2008 - training with Englands performance squad ahead of the Test series - when the tour was suspended after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in which over 160 people were killed and more than 600 injured. England left the country to allow India to mourn its dead, before returning a week later with presidential levels of security.Strauss words in his autobiography, Driving Ambition, remain just as apt today. If our security expert reckoned it was all right to go, then I really couldnt think of a compelling reason not to… We had to trust him and get back to doing our jobs. In any case, it increasingly felt like the right thing to do. The world had to get back to normal and the show had to go on, otherwise in some small way the terrorists would have won.There has been too much talk that Englands players should decide as a group whether to tour Bangladesh. Even though Cook, as captain, had led the way, this is not a time to insist categorically on all for one and one for all. Any player who decides not to tour, whether because of personal circumstance or individual assessment, has the right to have that decision respected. For certain, a decision taken because of fear of personal safety is a more honourable decision than the one made by every England player who joined rebel tours to South Africa a generation ago, and many involved in those soiled enterprises were accepted back into the fold.But if no England player should suffer directly for their choice, it is a fact that decisions can have consequences. Robert Croft, a spinner unsure of his place, pulled out of the 2001 India tour and was replaced by Ashley Giles, whose own worth was often questioned. But it was Giles who played in the 2005 Ashes and experienced one of Englands greatest summers of all time.In conclusion, the decision that England should tour is a convincing one, and it is to be hoped that the players accept its logic, but the future remains uncertain. The war against extremism is a real one. The real battle is being fought by others. Cricket will be left to accept the consequences. New Balance Australia Clearance . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". New Balance Australia Online . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. http://www.cheapnewbalanceaustralia.com/ . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. New Balance Australia .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. New Balance Australia Womens . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. The stage is set for womens golf to finally get the attention it deserves.The U.S. Womens Open is the biggest prize on the LPGA Tour schedule and has been for years. It starts Thursday at CordeValle Golf Club, located among the vineyards a few hours south of San Francisco, only the third Womens Open to be played in California. No other major sporting events are scheduled for late afternoon this weekend, golf included. Devastating flooding forced the PGA Tour to cancel The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.The cast of characters is stronger than ever.Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson might be the latest rivalry to take root in womens golf, both teenagers, each claiming a major championship this year. Not to be overlooked is Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who won three straight times in May and probably should have won the ANA Inspiration in California, the first major of the year.What can go wrong? Historically, there is reason to worry.The last time the LPGA Tour had the stage to itself was in 2005 at Cherry Hills (Colorado) for the U.S. Womens Open, and the tour promised a great show and a big future.Among those tied for the lead going into the final round was a pair of teens in ponytails, 15-year-old Michelle Wie and 17-year-old Morgan Pressel. One shot behind was 18-year-old Paula Creamer, fresh off high school graduation. Still in the mix was Annika Sorenstam, the dominant player in her sport going for the third leg of the Grand Slam on the very course where Arnold Palmer charged to victory for his only U.S. Open.Lights, camera, struggles.On a Cherry Hills course with brutal rough and fast greens, the lasting image was Wie missing putts inside 3 feet on three out of four holes on her way to an 82. Sorenstam, five shots behind, tried to drive the first green just like Palmer did in 1960. She hit a tree, went into the creek and made bogey. Creamer struggled to move the ball more than 10 feet out of the rough. Lorena Ochoa snap-hooked a tee shot into the water on the 18th right when it looked like she was the winner.This was not a celebration of womens golf it should have been. It was an occasion to cringe.That wasnt the only time when the elements won out over timing. Go back to 2001 to find the mixed-team version of the Battle at Bighorn in California featuring a quartet of the bestt in golf -- Tiger Woods and Sorenstam against David Duval and Karrie Webb.dddddddddddd They had won five of the six majors that had been played that year.The LPGA Tour commissioner at the time was Ty Votaw, who said the Monday night exhibition on a network (ABC Sports) in prime time would be the biggest day in LPGA history based on the number of eyeballs that are going to be on our product.What he couldnt predict was that 30 minutes before they teed off, the notorious Santa Ana wind showed up. It brought 30 mph of hot air that came roaring over the mountains and created some of the toughest conditions of the year for men or women.Webb hit a 20-foot birdie putt some 60 feet beyond the hole when a gust showed up at the wrong time. Sorenstam hit a 25-foot birdie putt some 30 yards into the fairway because of the slope and a gust. It looked bad.The hope was that another moment like Cherry Hills would arrive, and here it is.What makes it the most successful womens sport is that the LPGA has been going at it alone for six decades. They are not subsidized like the WNBA. They do not share the golf course with the men during the Grand Slam events. They have to work harder, and they do.The LPGA survived the retirement of Sorenstam and Ochoa two years apart and now has the potential for a most compelling rivalry.Ko won her first LPGA Tour event at age 15, and she might as well have the youngest as part of her name for all the records she keeps setting. She won two majors at 18, and the question now is when her LPGA victories (13) will catch up to her age (19).Henderson won for the first time last year when she was 17 and not even eligible to be an LPGA member. The Canadian delivered the most clutch moment in a major this year when she tracked down Ko in the final round of KPMG Womens PGA Championship in Washington with a long eagle putt and a tough par, then won in a playoff by coolly stuffing her approach into 3 feet.They are Nos. 1 and 2 in the world. Nothing could lift the LPGA Tour like those two battling at CordeValle.What womens golf needs now are plenty of eyeballs and predictable weather. And for the USGA to do better than it did at Oakmont (Pennsylvania). ' ' '