Zimbabwe players leave India for home amid Middle East violence:Windies team still stuck, Daren Sammy writes ‘I just wanna go home’

The first batch of the Zimbabwe team has departed for their home, Harare, on Wednesday. The Zimbabwe team was scheduled to depart for home on 2 March, but after losing to South Africa by five wickets in Delhi on 1 March, the team was unable to travel following the violence in the Middle East. ‘ Following this, the International Cricket Council (ICC) made alternative travel arrangements for the Zimbabwe team’s return. The airspace over West Asia is closed due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Zimbabwean and West Indian players were supposed to return to their countries via this route. Currently, the West Indies team is still in India. Zimbabwe players en route to India
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) released an official statement on Wednesday to provide this information. The board tweeted, stating that the first batch of players departed from India on Wednesday, while the remaining players will depart on Friday afternoon. Initially, the Zimbabwe team was supposed to return to Harare via Dubai, but now the travel route has been changed. Under the new arrangement, the team will reach Harare via Ethiopia. Zimbabwe played their last match against South Africa on Sunday. Some players of the team were scheduled to depart at 4:30 AM on Monday, while the rest were to leave later in the day. The team’s flight was booked from Delhi to Dubai and from Dubai to Harare, but due to the closure of airspace in Dubai, the players had to stay in India. Also read: Mike Hesson faces criticism after Pakistan’s T20 WC exit: Player reportedly misbehaves with female hotel staff in Kandy; PCB to take quick action West Indies team still stuck in India Meanwhile, the West Indies cricket team has been unable to leave India for home after the tournament. Head coach Daren Sammy took to X to share an update, expressing his helplessness in this situation. “I just wanna go home,” read one of his tweets. The two-time T20 World Cup winner also sought for an official update on their travel status, stating that it has been five days that the team is stuck in India. Both teams failed to cross Super 8 stage
India, New Zealand, England, and South Africa were the teams that made it past the Super 8 stage and onto the semifinals. The Zimbabwe and West Indies teams could not qualify for the semifinals. West Indies defeated Zimbabwe in their only match in Round 2. While Zimbabwe, after defeating Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stage, could not win a single match in the Super 8. Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams could not qualify for Super-8, while 2021 champions Australia were eliminated in the group stage itself.