The West Indies and South Africa cricket teams are finally heading home on Tuesday. They were stuck in India because of travel restrictions caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Both teams are leaving after being knocked out of the T20 World Cup.
The West Indies were knocked out of the T20 World Cup on Sunday after losing to India by five wickets at Eden Gardens. South Africa’s tournament also ended on Wednesday when they lost to New Zealand in the first semifinal.
It has been confirmed that the West Indies coach Darren Sammy is planning to leave tonight through Singapore. The rest of the players and staff will leave on Tuesday on a private chartered flight.
The South Africa team will fly from Kolkata to Johannesburg. However three players, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Jason Smith have already left for New Zealand. They are going there for a 5 match T20 series that begins on March 15. These travel plans changed because several countries in West Asia closed their airspace due to the ongoing conflict.
The travel plans changed because airspaces in West Asia were closed due to the conflict. The West Indies team has been stuck in Kolkata since March 1, and South Africa has been unable to leave since March 4.
Cricket West Indies confirmed that they are arranging a special private flight to bring the players home. After being stuck for over four days, officials from the CWI and the ICC met to finalize the plans. The team is now expected to leave India within the next 24 hours.
(With PTI Inputs)
