Despite being out of the T20 World Cup 2026, the West Indies national cricket team is facing an unexpected situation in Kolkata. The Caribbean team is stuck in the city for several days due to the war in the Middle East, leaving the entire camp dejected.
The West Indies players and support staff were expected to leave India immediately after the outing on 1 March, but their return was delayed due to travel problems caused by the war between Iran and the USA–Israel, which led to the cancellation of many flights to much of West Asia.
Darren Sammy’s emotional message goes viral
With frustration rising and emotions running high, West Indies head coach Darren Sammy shared a short but heart-touching message on social media and said that he just wants to go back home. Sammy wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I just want to go home.”
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This simple post immediately gained attention, which shows how difficult the situation has become for the West Indies national cricket team. Many airspace corridors are currently closed, making it very difficult for airlines to operate regular flights.
i just want to go home
– Darren Sammy (@darensammy88) 5 March 2026
ICC struggles to send West Indies home
Even the International Cricket Council (ICC) is struggling to arrange safe travel plans for teams leaving India following the ongoing intense war between Iran-Israel, which is currently in its second year.
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, ICC officials were initially trying to organize a special charter flight for the West Indies team that would take them to London before continuing their journey to the Caribbean island. The team was expected to leave India in the middle of the week, but no specific date was given, and plans have not yet been finalized.
West Indies players have been living in Kolkata since March 1 after their crushing defeat against India in the last Super 8 match. That defeat ended their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, but their wait to go home lasted longer than expected.
Some relief for Zimbabwe players
Well, at least there was some positive news for Zimbabwe. A group of their players finally left for India from Delhi after the ICC made new travel arrangements. Zimbabwe’s original plan was to travel via Dubai, but that route had to be canceled due to the ongoing war.
Instead, the Zimbabwean players were flown through Addis Ababa before eventually reaching Harare. Nevertheless, the squad will return home in small groups due to limited flight availability.
South Africa is stuck after being out of the semi-finals
Meanwhile, other teams are also waiting for travel updates. The South Africa national cricket team, which was defeated by the New Zealand national cricket team in the semi-finals on March 4, is still waiting to know when and how they will return home.
The England national cricket team’s travel plans will also depend on the outcome of their semi-final clash with the Men in Blue. The Indian cricket team will face England in the second semi-final on March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, in which the winning team will face New Zealand for the title.
Also read: Abhishek Sharma out? India’s playing eleven for the England clash was officially revealed a few hours before the match.
