Their WC campaign over, Zimbabwe await clarity on travel back home following Dubai airport closure

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Having completed their commitments in the T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe are awaiting clarity on their departure plans following the closure of Dubai aiport due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Majority of the Sikandar Raza-led squad was supposed to fly out of Delhi in three batches from Monday morning but those plans have now been put on hold, informed head coach Justin Sammons following the loss in their final Super Eights fixture against South Africa.

Zimbabwe all-rounder Graeme Cremer is based in Dubai and his plans are also up in the air following the closure of the airspace in major airports in the Middle East. The team members were supposed to take the connecting flight from Dubai.

Asked if the worsening situation in the Middle East was a distraction to the players including Cremer, Sammons said it was difficult to ignore that completely.

"You'd still believe that the focus is on the game. But at the end of the day, I'm sure it's, you know, it's in the back of everyone's minds. You know you're going home, but how you're going home, when you're going home.

"So it's still there. The conversations are happening in the groups. You can see that. But I still believe they had a full focus on the game when they stepped over that rope," said Sammons before adding that no clarity has been provided to the team post the game on Sunday.

"When we started the game, there wasn't anything. And yeah, obviously now it's just been focused on the game. So I've not heard anything since," he said.

With the airport closed in Dubai, one option for the players and support staff to head home is via Addis Ababa-based Ethiopian Airlines.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday said it is working on alternate flight plans for players and officials returning from the T20 World Cup in India and Sri lanka amid the disruption caused by the US strikes on Iran.

South Africa remain in the tournament and are scheduled to play their semifinal in Kolkata on March 4. South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad said the conflict in the Middle East has been a point of discussion among the players.

"It comes up in every conversation. You can't wish it away. It is there. We have managed to put that aside. With our manager and the ICC, we firmly believe that all the right decisions will be made. So yeah, all our focus is on Kolkata and playing New Zealand on Wednesday," said Conrad. PTI BS PDS PDS