West Indies head coach and former T20 World Cup winner Darren Sammy took to social media on Wednesday to express his frustration after being stranded in India following his team’s elimination from the T20 World Cup 2026.
“I just wanna go home,” Sammy posted on X, a simple message that captured the growing anxiety of cricketers caught in an unprecedented travel crisis.
The West Indies cricket team has been left stranded in Kolkata following their exit from the tournament, as escalating tensions in the Middle East have led to the closure of air spaces across West Asia. The Caribbean side, which played its Super 8 match against India in Kolkata, was scheduled to depart India shortly after its elimination.
However, the shutdown of Dubai Airport and the wider closure of West Asian airspace have severely disrupted international flight schedules, leaving the team unable to return home as planned. What should have been a straightforward journey home has turned into a waiting game with no clear end in sight.
The West Indies are not the only cricket team stuck in India. Zimbabwe’s squad faced the same problem but managed to find a way out with help from the ICC.
According to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket, the ICC stepped in to secure alternative travel arrangements after their original flights via Dubai on Emirates were cancelled. The team is now returning to Harare in batches via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“Due to flight availability and revised routing, the squad will return to Harare in batches. The first group of players departed India today, Wednesday, while the final group is scheduled to leave on Friday afternoon,” the board said.
Zimbabwe’s journey home has taken a completely different route than planned, but at least they have a route. For the West Indies, however, there has been no official update on their travel plans.
