Israel–Iran The teams of West Indies and South Africa were stranded in India due to closure of airspace due to the war. Now ICC has arranged for a chartered flight, through which both the teams will return to their country via Johannesburg.
Sports News: The impact of the ongoing Israel-Iran war in the Middle East has now been seen on international cricket as well. Due to this conflict, the airspace of many countries was closed, due to which the cricket teams of West Indies and South Africa were stuck in India.
Both the teams had recently participated in the T20 World Cup and were preparing to return to their country after the end of the tournament. But due to increasing tension in West Asia, flights were affected and they did not get a chance to travel on time.
Now, considering the situation, the International Cricket Council i.e. ICC has made special arrangements for these teams so that the players can return to their country safely.
ICC arranged for chartered flight
ICC has arranged for a chartered flight to send the teams of West Indies and South Africa from India to their countries. This flight will depart from India for Johannesburg at around 2:30 pm on March 10.
Through this special flight, players and support staff of both the teams will be able to travel safely. Due to closure of airspace for the last few days, there were drastic changes in regular international flights. For this reason the return of these players was delayed.
ICC took this decision keeping in mind the safety and convenience of the players so that the teams do not have to wait too long.
West Indies team will advance from Johannesburg
Both the teams will first reach Johannesburg, South Africa via chartered flight. After this the West Indies team will leave for Antigua from there. Antigua is a major base for the West Indies cricket team and many players will make onward journeys to their respective countries from there. Whereas the South African team will stay here after reaching Johannesburg because this is their home city and most of the players of the team are associated here.
Teams were stuck in India for several days
Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, air traffic was affected and many countries temporarily closed their airspace. Due to this, the teams of West Indies and South Africa were forced to stay in India.
At present, a total of 12 players and 10 support staff of the West Indies team are present in India. At the same time, 12 players and two support staff of the South African team were also staying in India. The teams were waiting for information about their next trip and in the meantime the ICC prepared the option of chartered flights.
Some players have already left
However, some players from both the teams have already traveled by different routes. Three South African players Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Jason Smith have already left for New Zealand.
These players had to reach on time for the upcoming T20 series to be held in New Zealand. The five-match T20 series between South Africa and New Zealand is scheduled to start from March 15. Because of this, these players traveled through alternative routes so that they could join the team on time.
Change in coach Darren Sammy’s travel plan also
There was also a change in the travel schedule of West Indies team coach Darren Sammy. Earlier news had come that he may return to his country via Singapore.
Apart from this, some players of the West Indies team were also planning to travel through different routes. However, now after the arrangement of chartered flights, most of the players will be able to travel together.
West Indies team was staying in Kolkata
The West Indies team was present in Kolkata during the T20 World Cup. The team played a Super 8 match against India on March 1 in which it had to face defeat.
After this, the team’s return was planned but due to closure of airspace the journey was not possible. For this reason the team had to stay in India for a few extra days. At the same time, the South African team was also not able to leave India immediately after the semi-final match.
South Africa team could not return after the semi-finals
The South African team played the semi-final match of the T20 World Cup against New Zealand on March 4. This match took place at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
After the defeat in this match, the team’s plan was to immediately return to their country. But due to closure of airspace, flights were not available and the players had to stay in India for a few days.
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