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. College Jerseys Outlet . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. http://www.cheapcollegejerseys.net/ . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. 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He was shocked to learn of the diagnosis but hoped to return to playing after the right amount of medication and treatments.Former Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November 2012 and is now a high school goalie coach. Current Calgary Flames goalie coach Jordan Sigalet was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in late 2003 while he was a junior at Bowling Green University. The disease -- which can cause impaired vision, extreme fatigue and spasms and paralysis of muscles, and has no known cure -- tends to more frequently affect women, Caucasians or people with Northern European heritage.Former Major League Baseball standout Rocco Baldelli had his promising career cut short after being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease -- which has similar symptoms to multiple sclerosis -- when he was 29.At one point, I didnt know if my body was just failing me and I was going to die, Baldelli said. These are the kind of thoughts -- death, or not being able to walk anymore. You go from worrying about playing center field and where youre going to live in the offseason and winning baseball games, to worrying about what is wrong with me and am I dying?Baldelli first began to feel something was wrong when he was 25.You know, especially as an athlete, when something is seriously wrong, Baldelli said. You get to a point where you just want an answer.Now a 35-year-old first-base coach for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baldelli was considered a generational player after Tampa selected him sixth overall in the 2000 amateur draft. He had all the key tools -- speed, strength, athleticism -- to go along with his ability to hit, run and throw. He was a complete player who earned the nickname The Woonsocket Rocket and was once compared to Joe DiMaggio.During the 2007 season, his legs, specifically his hamstrings, would tighten up, then cramp, and his muscles werent able to recover to a point where he was able to play every day. Baldelli met with team trainers and doctors to pinpoint what was happening. He was tested for multiple conditions by specialists all over the country. No immediate answers came, complicated by the fact that he also had been dealing with Lyme disease since he was 15. It was an emotional time.Then, before the 2008 season, he was diagnosed with a cell disorder channelopathy, a mitochondrial condition that prevented him from being an everyday player in the majors. He was limited to 28 regular-season games with the Rays but still found a way to help the club reach the World Series that October and even homered in Game 5 against the Philadelphia Phillies before Tampa lost that series.There are playbooks for injuries -- broken bones and [torn] MCLs -- but therres no real playbook, no right way or wrong way to proceed in these situations; youre figuring it out as you go, Baldelli said.dddddddddddd Its scary, to say the least.Baldelli never wanted to discuss his health. He didnt want anyone to feel bad for him or his situation.When youre playing, its a real delicate thing to talk about, and youre not really sure what to say, how to say it, but its a little easier for me to discuss right now, Baldelli said. When youre still out there and trying to play, its hard to talk about these things. It makes you feel your own mortality.A native Rhode Islander, Baldelli was released by the Rays and signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 and played 62 games. Despite treatments and medications, the fatigue created by the disease became too severe, and he was forced to retire in 2010 after returning to the Rays for 10 games. He was 29.During his ordeal, Baldelli never thought about calling it quits until the very end because he was doing what he loved, but major questions remained.How do I go on living the rest of my life? Whats the rest of my life going to be like? Baldelli said.Baldelli still works out every day. He eats well and sleeps right. He has no choice, because if he doesnt live life in such a manner, he wont be able to recover and function well enough.I feel good, he said.When he learned that Bickell, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Baldelli understood firsthand the challenges that lie ahead.Its a very scary thing, Baldelli said. These are not things that young, professional athletes are really thinking about. These arent the thoughts that are in your head. Youre out there trying to compete, trying to earn a living and just trying to enjoy a pretty cool life. When you start dealing with these things, it really starts to freak you out. It really starts to make you question whats going on. As an athlete, you usually feel strong and people like to say invincible. You just never really think something like this is going to happen to you, and its not even on your radar.When it does happen, it scared the hell out of me. I was going for a lot of tests, and my body wasnt cooperating. I was feeling things that I knew I shouldnt be feeling.Since these types of diseases affect everyone differently, its tough for Baldelli to lend any advice.Thats a hard question, he said. Theres no right way to approach these situations. You start to re-evaluate a lot of things in your life. You start to think about the rest of your life and how you want to spend it -- the things that are really important to you and the things that are not. You really start to get an early look at these things that probably most people dont really start to contemplate until a little later on in life. You just dont know how much time youre going to have, and you want to make the most of it. ' ' '