Cricket

The Indian cricket team, fresh from their triumph at the T20 World Cup, faced an unexpected delay in their return home due to Hurricane Beryl. The storm forced the closure of the airport in Barbados, leaving the team and their entourage stranded for two days.However, relief came on Tuesday evening when Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the airport was expected to resume operations within the next six to 12 hours. This news brought a sigh of relief to the Indian contingent, who have been eager to return home and celebrate their victory.The team's victory on Saturday was a historic moment for Indian cricket. After a title drought of 11 years, the Rohit Sharma-led squad defeated South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final. The win sparked jubilation across India and cemented the team's status as one of the world's best.Despite the airport closure, the Indian team remained in high spirits, according to Prime Minister Mottley. She praised the team for their resilience and expressed her hope that they would be able to leave Barbados soon.The hurricane, which lashed Barbados and nearby islands on Monday, caused significant damage to coastal infrastructure. However, Mottley emphasized that the storm could have been much worse and expressed gratitude that it did not make landfall.The Indian team's departure from Barbados is now imminent, but they face a narrow window of opportunity as another hurricane is expected to approach on Wednesday. Prime Minister Mottley expressed her hope that the team would be able to leave before the next storm arrives.The Indian cricket team's victory at the T20 World Cup has been a source of immense pride for the nation. Their triumph has brought joy to millions of fans and has further cemented India's status as a cricketing powerhouse.

The T20 World Cup 2024 has been plagued by logistical challenges, and the final between South Africa and the West Indies is no exception. A landing failure of a small private aircraft at the Grantley Adams airport in Barbados has stranded the South African team, their families, commentators, match officials, and ICC officials at the Trinidad airport.The Barbados airport was closed for inspections by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Barbados Police Service after the incident. Moments before the South African contingent was set to take off from Trinidad, the pilots received information about the runway closure in Bridgetown."It appeared that the landing gear of the private aircraft did not deploy, but it is currently on the runway at GAIA [Grantley Adams International Airport] safely," said Sharleen Brown, Corporate Communication Specialist with GAIA. She confirmed that all three individuals on board - two passengers and a pilot - were unharmed.Passengers on the flight from Trinidad to Barbados were told the tentative rescheduled time was 4.30pm, which would amount to nearly six hours of delay. All the boarded passengers had to return to the terminal, adding to the many delays endured by teams at the tournament.Sri Lanka had to spend a whole night at the airport when traveling from Florida to New York. Afghanistan, who finished their last Super Eight match in the wee hours of Tuesday, also had their flight delayed before playing their first T20 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.This is the first time South Africa has made a final of a men's World Cup. The final will be played on Saturday morning, as opposed to the usual tradition of playing on Sundays. That change meant the second semi-final, currently delayed because of inclement weather in Guyana, could not have a reserve day.Despite giving the two semi-finals the same amount of extra time to get a game in, the ICC has used different playing conditions if the matches needed to be shortened.