Jonny Bairstow has appealed for the safety of his England Lions squad who are stuck in the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing attack in the region.
Bairstow is on tour with the Lions in a coaching role working under England legend Andrew Flintoff. There are 25 members in the England Lions contingent, players and coaches included.
On Saturday night, England Lions cancelled their scheduled second 50-over match against Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi because of security concerns.
US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on Saturday morning in what the two countries described as a ‘pre-emptive’ strike against a Tehran government intent on developing nuclear weapons.
The attack prompted retaliation from Iran, with missiles reported to have targeted Israel and countries across the Middle East.
On Sunday morning, Bairstow took to social media asking for updates to help he and his stricken Lions squad.
Jonny Bairstow has asked for help for his England Lions squad amid the Middle East crisis
England Lions coach Bairstow took to Instagram on Sunday morning appealing for help from Sir Keir Starmer and the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates
‘If anyone has any intel in Dubai please reach out. Keep safe,’ he wrote.
He then followed that up by repeating those sentiments but tagging in Sir Keir Starmer and the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
‘If anyone has any intel in Dubai please reach out… Stay safe… @britishembassyuae @keirstarmer’ he wrote.
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Saturday evening that following official Government advice, the planned game at the Zayed Cricket Stadium would now not take place, with the travel arrangements for England Women’s trip to Abu Dhabi next week also delayed.
The ECB’s statement on Saturday about the cancellation of their match on Sunday read: ‘The safety and security of our teams and staff is our top priority.
‘We are in contact with security experts and the Government in relation to current events in the Middle East, and are following official advice.
‘Tomorrow’s second 50-over game between England Men’s Lions and Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi will no longer go ahead, and we are delaying the departure of England Women for their proposed trip to Abu Dhabi next week.
‘We will continue to monitor and assess the situation and official advice in relation to the future of these trips.
‘England Men will travel to Mumbai for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final as planned.’
Smoke rises from Dubai International Airport on Sunday morning amid the ongoing crisis
The UK Foreign Office has urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE to immediately shelter in place following reports of explosions.
As of Sunday morning, global air travel remains heavily disrupted as continued air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed in one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years.
Key transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed after US and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Israel said it launched another wave of strikes on Iran on Sunday while loud blasts were heard for a second day near Dubai and over Doha after Iran launched retaliatory air attacks on the neighboring Gulf states.
Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran’s attacks while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit. Thousands of flights have been affected across the Middle East, according to data on flight-tracking platform FlightAware.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remained virtually empty, maps by Flightradar24 showed early on Sunday.
The flight-tracking service said that a new ‘Notice to Airmen’ (NOTAM) had extended closure of Iranian airspace until at least 8.30am on Tuesday morning (March 3).
