England cricketers in Pakistan look to flee country amid India conflict
English cricketers playing at the Pakistan Super League are seeking a route out of the country amid escalating military tension with India.
Earlier this week India launched Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attacks last month. Pakistan says 31 people have been killed and 57 injured by air strikes in the country and Pakistan-administered Kashmir since Wednesday morning.
The PSL postponed Thursday's match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings after a drone fell near the stadium in Rawalpindi. Pakistan said the drone was launched from India.
At that point, there was uncertainty over the future of the tournament, which could be cancelled, postponed indefinitely, finished in one city in Pakistan, or even moved out of the country entirely (possibly to Dubai). The tournament's group stages are nearing their end, with the final due to played a week on Sunday.
There are seven English players at the tournament – Chris Jordan, James Vince, Sam Billings, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Curran, Luke Wood and David Willey – as well as a number of coaches including Ravi Bopara and Alex Hartley. In all, the English contingent at the tournament is around 15-strong.
They held an emergency call with the England and Wales Cricket Board's security adviser Reg Dickason and the Professional Cricketers' Association on Wednesday. At that point, players were divided over whether to leave the country but in the hours that followed feelings strengthened and by Thursday evening, there was agreement among overseas players that it was time to leave Pakistan. The question was how soon they could get out of the country with the hope being they could travel to Dubai on Friday. Overseas players from other counties – including Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies – were in a similar position.
Across the border, there is also uncertainty around the remainder of the Indian Premier League season. Thursday's match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala – in Himchal Pradesh, which borders Kashmir – was dramatically postponed after 10.1 overs because of the sudden failure of three floodlights.
Despite an official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India saying the game was called off after 'a power outage in the area' resulting in the floodlight failure, the IPL chairman Arun Dhumal was quoted by IANS saying it was because of the reported explosions in Jammu in Kashmir.
'Yes, the match has been called off as a precautionary step, because there are some incidents which happened in Jammu, I believe,' Dhumal said. 'That's what we got to know, so we thought it's wise to call off the game.'
The next match in Dharamsala, which was due to take place on Saturday, has already been moved to Ahmedabad. Reports suggested the BCCI was arranging 'special trains' to transport teams and staff out of Dharamsala, which is in the foothills of the Himalayas.
A report in the Times of India said teams in the league were 'in a state of panic', adding that the IPL Governing Council would meet to discuss the situation. English cricketers playing at the Pakistan Super League are seeking a route out of the country amid escalating military tension with India.
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