England's new one-day captain Jos Buttler has defended Eoin Morgan in the wake of criticism he has received for sitting out the tour of Bangladesh, admitting he weighed up his own worries before declaring himself available.
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Sunday that both Morgan and opener Alex Hales had ruled themselves out of contention due to security concerns in a country where 29 people were killed during a July terror attack.
Buttler will now lead the side in three ODIs, while Alastair Cook will remain captain for the two Tests, and two of their predecessors strongly criticised Morgan for refusing to be selected.
In newspaper columns, Michael Vaughan claimed the 30-year-old was making "a huge mistake" and Nasser Hussain stated he believes his decision will "undermine his authority" should he resume the captaincy.
However, Buttler expressed sympathy for Morgan and revealed there had been much deliberation on his part too.
"There has been some unfair criticism," the wicketkeeper said.
"Cricket is not the be-all and end-all. He has made the decision that is right for him and it is not one he has taken lightly. He has come to one which he is comfortable with and people should respect that.
"Reading things in the press and having a lot of information about it, you do have some worries. But you try and think long and hard about it, let the dust settle for a bit and try and work through it logically.
"For me personally I'm happy to go. It's a completely individual position, as it has to be ... and everyone completely respects that it is a personal decision."
The suggestion that the withdrawals of Morgan and Hales could disrupt dressing-room harmony should they return to the fold for future games was also dismissed by Buttler.
"It definitely won't. We're a very, very tight group of players," he added.
The ECB had confirmed last month that the tour to Bangladesh would proceed after a three-man team returned from the country content with the security arrangements that will be put in place.
Buttler fully expects to return control to Morgan at the conclusion of the series.
"He's very much still the captain of the England ODI side," Buttler stressed.
"He's done a fantastic job over the last 18 months. He's been one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, for the turnaround in fortunes.The style of cricket he's got the side playing is something we want to continue and keep playing that brand of cricket."
