Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis Avoid Missile Strikes In Pakistan By A Whisker: Report
Last Updated: May 11, 2025, 09:07 IST
Sean Abbott was playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL (Picture credit: AFP)
Four Australian cricketers plying their trade in the now-suspended Pakistan Super League narrowly dodged a missile strike by India on Pakistan, as they left the Nur Khan airbase hours before India struck it, as cross-border tensions flared between the two countries.
PCB arranged a charter flight for Aussie and international players that departed Islamabad on Friday night, bound for Dubai.
Connecting flights from Dubai to cricketers' home nations were being organised on Saturday, May 10.
But according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald , allrounder Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Ashton Turner and Mitch Owen were almost caught in a devastating incident.
On Saturday morning local time, just hours after the overseas cricketers left on their charter flight, India launched missile strikes targeting three Pakistan airbases, including the facility at Nur Khan, in retaliation for the cross-border drone attacks by Pakistan on Friday night.
While David Warner had already returned to Australia and wasn't on the flight, multiple Aussie players were left shaken by the close call.
'Sean and Ben are relieved to be in Dubai now. They are resting at a hotel as they prepare to fly back to Sydney. It has been a challenging last 24 hours or so for all the players, both physically and mentally," Peter Lovitt, who manages Abbott and Dwarshuis, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'The next steps are to get them home safely as soon as possible. The organisers of the PSL have done their best to get the players out of Pakistan quickly in trying circumstances in a situation that is much bigger than the game of cricket itself," Lovitt added.
New Zealand star Kane Williamson was also reportedly on the flight. While it is unclear which England players were on board, James Vince, Tom Curran, Sam Billings and Chris Jordan were all involved in the Pakistan Super League.
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