T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe stuck in India amid closure of airspace in Middle East

TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: Already out of the T20 World Cup semi-final race, Zimbabwe readied for the dead rubber against South Africa in New Delhi on Sunday. As they went through their paces on a hot Saturday afternoon a day prior, their focus shifted to their phones and news channels by the evening.

After the US and Israel's airstrikes on Iran and their counter-attack on US military installations around the Gulf, it has affected the airspace in the global business hub of Dubai. Zimbabwe were due to fly out through that region on their way back home after a positive tournament.

"You still believe that the focus is on the game. At the end of the day, it is on the back of everyone's minds. You know you're going home, when you're going home, how you're going home, the conversations are happening in the groups. No clarity on travel plans, focus on game since," said Zimbabwe coach Justin Simmons after their 5-wicket loss to South Africa.

As a result, Zimbabwe and their travelling fans are forced to look at alternative routes. The team was due to leave in three batches, revealed Simmons, but have no clarity as things stand. One of the players in the squad, Graeme Cremer, lives in Dubai. The team and their fans are considering the possibility of flying for Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, and then taking their onward journeys.

South Africa, meanwhile, have more days left in India. They will now fly to Kolkata for the semi-final against New Zealand. The reality of the world outside, though, is not lost on the Proteas contingent.

"Obviously it comes up in every conversation, so you can't wish it away because it's there. We've just got to try and nail our yorkers. So whilst it's (in) conversations, we've managed to just move that aside," said South Africa coach Shukri Conrad after they kept their unbeaten run going.

"And obviously our manager, together with the ICC, we firmly believe that all the right decisions will get made. All our focus is on Kolkata and playing New Zealand on Wednesday," he added.

On Saturday, ICC, headquartered in Dubai, had issued a statement clarifying that they were monitoring the developing situation. "The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and has activated comprehensive contingency plans to safeguard the travel, logistics and well-being of all stakeholders associated with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, currently underway in India and Sri Lanka," said the statement.

"While the crisis in the Middle East has no direct bearing on the conduct of the tournament, the ICC acknowledges that a significant number of personnel - including players, team management, match officials, broadcast teams, and event staff - rely on Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai (DXB), as key transit points for onward travel to their home countries upon concluding their commitments at the event," it continued.

As of Sunday, Indian airlines have cancelled 350 international flights due to the disruptions caused by the escalating conflict in the GUlf region.

"In view of airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled on 01.03.2026," the civil aviation ministry said in a post on X at 1634 hours on Sunday.


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