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West Indies Cricket Team
The last batch of South African and West Indian players stranded in India after the T20 World Cup have departed, the ICC announced on Thursday, ending a crisis caused by the closure of Gulf air space in the wake of the raging West Asia conflict. The ongoing war threw travel plans into disarray, leaving the South African and West Indies teams stranded in Kolkata due to closure of air space and airports at major transit points like Dubai. The West Indies and South Africa played their final T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata on March 1 and March 4 respectively. While nine West Indies players had left earlier this week, the remaining 16 were booked on commercial flights. A 29-member Proteas contingent has also departed. "Within the past 24 hours, South Africa's remaining 29 members and the West Indies' final 16 members have departed on flights to their respective homelands, bringing to a close a complex operation that has taken place under exceptionally challenging global travel ...
The West Indies cricket team's departure from India after its exit from the T20 World Cup has been delayed owing to international airspace restrictions triggered by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Cricket West Indies said it is working closely with the ICC and relevant government authorities for ensure safe travel of the players. Flight operations in the Gulf region are currently suspended with damage also reported at the Dubai International Airport, which is one the busiest in the world. "Cricket West Indies (CWI) wishes to advise that the departure of the West Indies Senior Men's Team from India, following their exit from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, has been delayed due to international airspace restrictions," the board said in a statement. "These restrictions are a direct result of the security threats posed by military action in the Gulf Region, which has impacted several international flight routes and required airlines to adjust scheduled services for safety reasons." T
Taking responsibility for the West Indies' elimination from the T20 World Cup, skipper Shai Hope said he should have batted faster at the top to post a more challenging target for India in their must-win Super Eight game here. Defending champions India chased down a fairly stiff 196-run target to knock the former winners out of the tournament at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday. The visitors appeared at least 20 runs short as Hope ate up 33 balls for his 32, striking at just over 96, including 17 dot balls that probably cost them heavily in a high-scoring contest. "Yes, I'll take the blame. I should have batted a lot faster -- if that's what you want me to say," said Hope in the post-match media interaction without dodging any tough question, here on Sunday. "When you're leading, you want to put your hand up and set the tone at the top. It didn't happen for me today. I just didn't get going today," he conceded. "But in situations like this, when you're struggling, everyone struggle