Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi, West Indies players and support staff have safely returned home after being left stranded in India following the T20 World Cup due to travel disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said.The ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran threw travel plans into disarray, leaving West Indies and South African teams stranded in Kolkata due to closure of air space and airports at major transit points like Dubai.
The West Indies played their final T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata on March 1.The ICC on Thursday had announced that the last batch of the players departed.In a statement on Saturday, CWI confirmed that all players and members of the Team Management Unit (TMU) who were part of the West Indies squad at the tournament have completed their journeys and reached their respective destinations.“The final group of players and support staff completed their journeys over the past several days and have now safely arrived at their respective destinations,” CWI said.While nine West Indies players had left earlier this week, the remaining 16 were booked on commercial flights.CWI thanked the ICC, regional cricket boards and other stakeholders for helping coordinate the return of the players and staff.“We also thank West Indies fans and the wider cricketing community for their concern and well-wishes,” he said.“The well-being and safety of our players and staff remain paramount, and we are grateful that the matter has now been brought to a safe and satisfactory conclusion.” The travel chaos had sparked criticism from some players with West Indies head coach Daren Sammy expressing frustration at the lack of updates from the ICC after a charter flight scheduled to depart from Kolkata was cancelled due to logistical issues. PTI
