March 2 (Reuters) – The West Indies and Zimbabwe teams said on Monday they have delayed their return from India after their exit from the Twenty20 World Cup due to international airspace closures amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
West Indies failed to reach the semi-finals after Sunday’s five-wicket loss to hosts India, while Zimbabwe were eliminated after losing all three of their Super Eights matches.
However, neither team could travel back as thousands of flights were cancelled in countries across the Gulf, disrupting some of the world’s busiest transit hubs, as conflict escalated between Iran and the U.S. and Israel.
“The Zimbabwe men’s team remains safe and well in India… the squad was scheduled to return home via Dubai,” Zimbabwe Cricket said in a social media post.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) said they were working with the sport’s global body (ICC) to make safe travel arrangements for the players and staff.
The ICC, headquartered in Dubai, earlier said that they had activated contingency plans for their personnel, who were scheduled to transit through Dubai for onward travel to their home countries.
“The safety and well-being of our players, coaches, and officials remain our highest priority,” CWI added.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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