West Indies, Zimbabwe unable to return from India

2026-03-03 - 06:23

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.