The Pakistan cricket team has reached home after their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign ended on February 28. Pakistan first travelled to Colombo from Pallekele and then took a Sri Lankan airline flight to Lahore. However, the Zimbabwe cricket team has fallen victim to the airspace closure in the Middle East and is stuck in India.
Zimbabwe stuck in India
The Chevrons’ stay in India ended earlier today after they lost to South Africa in Delhi. Zimbabwe was to leave in two contingents. The first group was to depart at 4:30 AM IST on March 2, while the remainder were to leave on March 3. Their flight was booked with Emirates, from Delhi to Dubai, and then to Harare.
However, that can’t happen now. Yesterday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that it was looking for alternative routes. At the moment, Zimbabwe isn’t certain how long they are to stay in India and await help from the ICC.
“No, not that I’ve heard of. When we started the game, there wasn’t anything. And now we’ve just been focused on the game, so I’ve not heard anything since,” Zimbabwe’s head coach, Justin Sammons, said.
Middle East airspace disruption
On February 28, the United States of America (USA) and Israel launched a massive aerial bombardment targeting Iranian military, nuclear, and governmental sites. In retaliation, Iran has targeted Israel’s and the USA’s bases in the region, and countries like Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait have been affected. The affected Flight Information Regions include:
| Country | FIR Identifier | Country | FIR Identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | Tehran (OIIX) | Iraq | Baghdad (ORBB) |
| Israel | Tel Aviv (LLFI) | Jordan | Amman (OJAC) |
| Lebanon | Beirut (OLBB) | Kuwait | Kuwait (OKAC) |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah (OEJD) | UAE | Emirates (OMAE) |
| Bahrain | Bahrain (OBBB) | Qatar | Doha (OTDF) |
| Oman | Muscat (OOMM) |
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