ENGLAND cricket hero Jonny Bairstow has made a desperate appeal to Keir Starmer after his England side were trapped in Dubai amid the Iran crisis.
Bairstow was in the with England‘s development team, led by Andrew Flintoff, for matches against the Pakistan Shaheens.
Johnny Bairstow has made a plea to Keir Starmer after becoming stranded with his players in the UAECredit: Getty
The Lions were set to play their second match against Pakistan on Sunday, but that contest was postponed following the escalating situation in the country.
And , tourists in Dubai found themselves trapped as airspaces and airports closed as a result of the conflict.
Dubai itself has been on the receiving end of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran, with smoke seen billowing into the sky
The team are therefore unable to return home as the city continues
“If anyone has any intel in Dubai please reach out. Keep safe.”
He then repeated the message on a follow-up story, and tagged Prime Minister and the British embassy in the UAE.
The England Board released a statement setting out their safeguarding measures for the team.
They confirmed they were adhering to “official advice” and were “monitoring the situation.”
Bairstow took to Instagram with a request for any information and a message to “keep safe”Credit: Instagram @jbairstow21
He then repeated his plea while tagging Starmer and the British embassy in the UAECredit: Instagram @jbairstow21
The statement 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.
“We will continue to monitor and assess the situation and official advice in relation to the future of these trips.”
The board have postponed an England women’s trip to Abu Dhabi that was penned in for next week.
They did however confirm that the men’s team are still expected to attend their ICC T20 World Cup semi-final as planned.
The match is set to be held in Mumbai on Thursday, but the team were scheduled to fly through the Middle East on their way back from the tournament.
Bairstow and Co are not the only sportsmen to be trapped in the UAE.
legend revealed he was stuck in Abu Dhabi.
in which he panned around the airport where he was stuck waiting.
- Ayatollah
- by another Iran blitz
- One dead & seven injured in Abu Dhabi
- Huge explosion hits Tehran
- to end regime
- Iran ‘fires
- Moment death
He said: “That is my plane that I am meant to be catching to go back to the UK.
“My mum said to me – bear with me – when I was a little boy, ‘wherever you are, there’s never a dull moment’.
“Well, I’m at this airport, and we’re hearing some pretty loud bangs going off, and that is anti-missiles taking out missiles that are being fired at some American base.”
There have also been , which they are due to host later this year.
Iran were scheduled to compete in group G alongside , New Zealand and .
But Iranian Federation president Mehdi Taj put their involvement in doubt, saying via Marca: “With what happened today and with that attack by the , it is unlikely that we can look forward to the cup.”
He added: “But the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
