Dein erstes Forum » d our opportunity, Lewis said. But

A patient crowd in Mirpur waits for VIP movement to pass through, beyond the barricade. This is the Dhaka term for a motorcade that is given high priority in traffic and the one that is about to pass through, the England cricket team convoy, is of the highest importance.It starts with an advanced team of police packed in pick-up trucks, followed by similar vehicles containing a Rapid Action Battalion and then the convoy starts with a long line with two buses in the middle. It is followed by more armed security men and women, a couple of minibuses, and then a fire brigade truck to round off.The convoy of about 10 to 12 different type of vehicles speeds through the emptied 8 km path from the Radisson hotel to the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The scene was similar in Chittagong where the roads at times were narrower than Dhakas.The most convenient location, of course, was the 20 yards the players walked to cross the road from the Chittagong hotel to the MA Aziz Stadium for Englands practice matches. But the longest the convoy had to travel was from their Dhaka hotel to the Fatullah Cricket Stadium which was 25km cutting right through Dhakas main artery from north to south.This was the scene for more than four weeks. Crowds waited patiently in front of every alleyway and street leading to the main road that connects the team hotel and stadium. It was inconvenient for hundreds of thousands of people, who were backlogged in various traffic jams linked to the convoys movement.Security was the most critical end of the bargain for England touring Bangladesh, and it was settled in mid-August when the ECB gave the go-ahead for the tour after a comprehensive security inspection****If the adjudicators of the man-of-the-series award took a wider view of events leading up to Englands tour of Bangladesh, Mehedi Hasan and Ben Stokes would have found competition coming from Reg Dickason, the ECBs director of security management. Although he says that it wasnt his job to convince the England players to tour Bangladesh, it was Dickasons iron-clad assurance that encouraged the ECB to give the green signalI didnt have to convince them, it wasnt my job Dickason told ESPNcricinfo. The awareness was heightened by the terrible attack on July 1. Where we travel throughout the world theres potential for such an attack as is shown in Germany, Belgium and France. Bangladesh was no different. From our point of view, it didnt really materially change the programme that we were going to put around the team.He said that Bangladeshs track record of delivering security as promised helped in building trust for Englands tour.History of previous performance definitely comes into play. Everyone is always well intentioned. I think what we have to establish is the ability of the organisers to do what they have said. A lot of trust came from the U-19 World Cup.The main purpose of the risk assessment for the Under-19 World Cup was to see if the event was safe to go ahead, and we deemed that it was. We came out here to see what the BCB and the government was actually going to provide. It went very well. They did everything they said they were going to do, said Dickason.Like most places in Dhaka after the July 1 terrorist attack in Gulshan, the BCB headquarters in Mirpur came under heightened security. The following month, Dickason, ECBs director of cricket operations John Carr and PCA chief executive David Leatherdale travelled to Bangladesh for the inspection.We met with the BCB and the local police, intelligence agencies, three overseas diplomatic missions and finally the Prime Minister. So based on what we were told and what we had witnessed in the U-19 World Cup, we had some degree of confidence we decided that this tour should go ahead and that was the recommendation, said Dickason.So on September 30, was Dickason nervous when the plane carrying the England players landed in Dhaka? I wasnt nervous but I am always concerned. I am conservative by nature. It is a fairly heavy responsibility with peoples safety.We got out just before the team. With the help of the BCB, we made sure things would be done exactly the way they said it would. It was done that way. In all of our tours we plan for worst, hope for the best - thats the underlying methodology, he said.****You can understand why a player might think the security issues would disrupt their focus. Its not that there is any apparent hole in the cordon; its more that you can never escape a reminder of the need for it. When they open their curtains in the morning, they see armed police preventing cars from approaching the hotel. When they open their hotel door, they have armed police patrolling the landing. If they look up at training, they see a marksman on the roof of every adjacent building. The hotels are very good, but some of the players have been here a month and they arent allowed out. At every moment you are reminded: there have been threats; there is an issue. Focusing all your concentration on the ball at such moments might well be difficult.The most remarkable aspect of this is the convoy. Every time the team (and accompanying media) need to go anywhere, the roads are cleared and closed, a cordon of several hundred police line the route to ensure pedestrians cannot approach and a convoy of buses, people carriers, fire trucks and heavily-armed swat teams drive as quickly as possible past bewildered - and presumably frustrated - onlookers. Thats not as easy as it sounds: some of the roads are poor and the speed bumps in these parts are viciously effective. So, in both Chittagong and Dhaka, there are moments when the convoy slows to a crawl. Those points on the journey are especially well patrolled by army and police personnel, with the swat team vehicles driving alongside the team bus to ensure that anyone trying to reach the players will have to go through them first.The most dangerous it ever felt was when an over-zealous driver has struggled to stop. With no seat belts in the van, it is fair to say he gave the Test Match Special team - and your ESPNcricinfo correspondent - a bit of a wake-up.Generally, though, it felt well organised and safe. And, once you try and venture out on your own (a 5kms journey took two hours in a taxi one night), you realise the benefits of the escort. England have been looked after exceptionally well.****Dickason observed that despite the heightened security provided in Bangladesh which he called gold standard, it would probably not be similar in other cricketing destinations.I dont think it is a one-size fits all. Risk tolerance in different countries varies. I have been in international sport for 20 years and the road closures in Dhaka and Chittagong and the government input is as good as I have ever seen.I dont know if this will be standard but it is certainly the gold standard at the moment. I dont know if it will be rolled out in tours in places where the perception of risk and the actual risk is a little bit lower, he said.England staying in Bangladesh for the full tour has been a major boost for the BCB. A visit from Sean Carroll, Cricket Australias head of security, last week was the first sign that Australia are actively thinking of visiting Bangladesh next August.We have been very happy with the level of security. Each country will have their list of criteria. Sean Carroll is a very competent chap in his field. He is having a close look at things and will make a recommendation to his board, said Dickason.What has also been encouraging is the sensitivity shown by the touring side to the sacrifices made by the people who get caught up the convoys movement. I think it is a sacrifice. We have probably inconvenienced them.Our players were very conscious of that, and we were always on time. If we were a minute late, it would inconvenience another hundred thousand people. The Bangladeshi people have been absolutely sensational, he said.There is little doubt that the tour basically saved Bangladesh from a long isolation of hosting international cricket. It would have deflated the general mood of the country further but now there is a bit more to look forward to. After all, they have just defeated England in a Test match. Even the unseasonal heat of November doesnt seem to bother anyone. Cheap NCAA Football Jerseys .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. NCAA Jerseys Wholesale .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. http://www.cheapcollegejerseys.us.org/ .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. College Jerseys China . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Wholesale College Jerseys . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. CINCINNATI -- Andy Daltons most important passes didnt even make it past the line of scrimmage. Mike Nugent missed another extra point.And the Bengals lost yet another game in throwback fashion, making every sort of mistake.Heading into December, its clear theyve bungled their season away, too.A 19-14 loss in Baltimore on Sunday left the Bengals (3-7-1) pretty much finished for 2016.Theyre 2+ games behind Baltimore (6-5) and Pittsburgh (6-5) with only five left.The defending AFC North champs would have to run the table, and the Ravens and Steelers both would have to have meltdowns for the Bengals to reach the playoffs.They know the odds of that happening arent good at all. The Bengals have reached the playoffs a club-record five consecutive seasons, and that streak is about to get snapped.We know some things have to break our way now, coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday .Also, they know they havent played well enough at any point this season to consider themselves playoff-worthy.That was the case again on Sunday in Baltimore, where they played well enough to stay in the game but no more.Dalton has been under constant pressure during the season, getting sacked 32 times -- fourth most in the NFL.Even when theyre not getting to Dalton, defenders are making it tough on him. Four of Daltons last eight passes were batted down at the line as the Ravens set their defense to take away the downfield throw and focused on knocking down the short ones.Four of eight passes knocked down? Mind-boggling.Those things happen very, very rarely, offensive coordinator Ken Zampese said on Monday. I mean, this was the first time that came up, it came up in a big way, and it ended up hurting us, so here we are talking about it.The game in Baltimore was in some ways their worst yet at protecting the quarterback.Dalton had four fumbles, losing two of them. The most costly came on a play from the Baltimore 16-yard line in the first half. Dalton was changing the play at the line of scrimmage when center Russell Bodinee snapped the ball, causing the turnover.ddddddddddddThe Bengals switched from Bodine to backup center T.J Johnson for a couple of series in the third quarter.To calm the troops a little bit, Lewis said.Three times in the second half, Dalton was sacked and fumbled. The last one came when the Bengals were driving for a potential tying touchdown in the closing minutes. Dalton was sacked by Elvis Dumervil and fumbled, allowing the Ravens to close it out with a safety that ran out the clock.And it wasnt only the passing game that involved struggles by Bengals blockers. Cincinnati rushed for only 64 yards -- 14 by Dalton -- as the latest chapter in a season-long problem. With no running game to worry them, the Ravens were able to get after Dalton.When they scored their only touchdown, Nugent missed the extra point wide right, the fourth time hes missed a point-after-touchdown try in four games. Lewis reiterated on Monday that the Bengals have no plans to bring in another kicker for a tryout.Missed PATs, those are things that affect the football team, affect us and our opportunity, Lewis said. But you know, we are where we are.Game notes The Bengals host Philadelphia (5-5) on Sunday . The previous time the Eagles played at Paul Brown Stadium was Nov. 16, 2008, when they finished in a 13-13 tie. They last met in Philadelphia in 2012, with the Eagles winning 34-13. ... The Bengals are only 4-5 in their past nine games at Paul Brown Stadium, including a first-round playoff loss to Pittsburgh last season. They were technically the home team when they played Washington to a tie in London this season. ... The Bengals put CB Chykie Brown on injured reserve. He suffered a knee injury at Baltimore. The Bengals re-signed DT DeShawn Williams, who was on the roster for the first 10 games and was waived last week.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '