LONDON, Jan 6: Ireland will send a team to the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, taking the place of Australia. Cricket Ireland had indicated on Tuesday that it was likely to accept the ICC's invitation to step in, although it now faces a challenge to arrange logistics with just three weeks until the start of the tournament.
Australia withdrew from the World Cup due to concerns over security, with CA chief executive James Sutherland citing "reliable information suggesting there is a high threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh". Australia's Test team also pulled out of a tour of Bangladesh last year
"Firstly, we are grateful to ICC for extending the invitation to us to participate in the tournament," Cricket Ireland's chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said. "Given the circumstances of the invitation, however, it was important that we used the brief time we had to investigate the safety and security situation in Bangladesh.
"While we are fully aware of the heightened security risk in the country, all we can do is rely upon expert advice, which tells us that the tournament security plan appears very comprehensive - an estimation supported by the independent assessments we have seen.     ?Cricinfo