Zimbabwe, West Indies team stuck in India amid travel chaos

Dubai: The West Indies and Zimbabwe teams and its support staff at the T20 World Cup have been stranded in India, unable to leave because of airspace closures and travel chaos due to the ongoing tensions in Middle East.

Both sides exited the tournament on Sunday at the end of the Super Eights stage and had been scheduled to fly home from India via the UAE.

But with tensions rising in the region, the UAE airspace was closed disrupting hundreds of flights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“The Zimbabwe senior men’s team remains safe and well in India,” Zimbabwe Cricket said in a statement late on Monday.

“The squad was scheduled to return home via Dubai, but travel plans have been affected by the evolving situation in the Middle East, which has disrupted key transit routes.”

Cricket West Indies said it was “working closely with the International Cricket Council (ICC), relevant governmental authorities and airline partners to secure the earliest possible safe travel arrangements for the squad and support staff”.

South Africa face New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the first semi-final on Wednesday, while England take on India at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

The final will be played in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here for Apple or here for Android. You can also find it us on the Huawei AppGallery.