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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

West Indies, Zimbabwe unable to return from India due to Middle East airspace closures

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 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.  



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