By Marc Strydom
The West Indies and Zimbabwe teams said on Monday they have delayed their return from India after their exit from the T20 World Cup due to international airspace closures amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The Proteas, who contest their semifinal against New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (3.30pm South Africa time), are monitoring the situation.
South Africa and England, who face hosts India in Thursday’s semifinal in Mumbai, are also facing the prospect of being stuck on the subcontinent as the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran rages on.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad was asked about the implications of the conflict and how his team has been affected after South Africa’s five-wicket Super Eight win against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
“It comes up in every conversation, so you can’t wish it away, because it is there,” he said. “We have to try and still nail our yorker and hit the bad ball for six amidst all of that. While it was in conversations, we moved that aside.
“Our manager, with the ICC [International Cricket Council], believes all the right decisions will be made. All our focus is on Kolkata and playing New Zealand on Wednesday.”
West Indies failed to reach the semifinals after Sunday’s five-wicket loss to India, while Zimbabwe were eliminated after losing all three of their Super Eight matches.
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 the conflict has escalated.
Dubai-based Emirates airline is a sponsor of the T20 World Cup and many teams have used it as their carrier for the tournament.
“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 said it is working with the ICC to make safe travel arrangements for the players and staff.
The ICC, headquartered in Dubai, said it has activated contingency plans for its personnel who were scheduled to transit through Dubai for onwards travel to their home countries.
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