Australian and international cricketers have narrowly avoided a missile strike in Pakistan, fleeing on a charter flight to Dubai just hours before Indian forces targeted the same military base.
The majority of Australia’s cricketers involved in the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League will arrive back on home soil on Sunday after the postponement of both tournaments due to the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head, all signed to play in the IPL, have been able to organise flights back to Australia after air-raid warnings near Dharamshala in the country’s north prompted the postponement of the world’s richest T20 tournament.
Australian players taking part in the PSL also safely made it out of Pakistan on Friday evening (local time) after the tournament was officially postponed.
The Pakistan Cricket Board arranged a charter flight for Australian and international players that departed Islamabad on Friday night bound for Dubai. Connecting flights from Dubai to players’ home countries were being organised on Saturday.
However, this masthead can reveal that Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Ashton Turner and Mitch Owen were almost caught up in a potentially devastating incident.
Australian and international cricketers on board a charter flight from Pakistan to Dubai following the postponement of the Pakistan Super League.
On Saturday morning local time, just hours after the overseas players left on their charter flight, India launched missile strikes targeting three Pakistani airbases, including the facility at Nur Khan – the airbase from which players, officials and broadcasters had flown out for the UAE around three hours earlier.
The strike on Nur Khan, located near Pakistan’s military headquarters and about 10 kilometres from Islamabad, caused multiple explosions and fires, according to local media reports. Witnesses described smoke and flames, with panic spreading in surrounding areas.
“India, with its naked aggression, has attacked with missiles. Nur Khan base, Murid base and Shorkot base have been targeted,” Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a live broadcast aired by state television early on Saturday.
Pakistan has since confirmed it launched counterattacks on Indian military targets, in a dramatic escalation of hostilities. The country’s airspace has been closed to all civilian and commercial aircraft.
While David Warner had already returned to Australia and was not on the flight, several Australian players were left shaken by the close call.
“Sean and Ben are relieved to be in Dubai now,” Peter Lovitt, who manages Abbott and Dwarshuis, told this masthead. “They are resting at a hotel as they prepare to fly back to Sydney.
“It has obviously been a challenging last 24 hours or so for all the players both physically and mentally. 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.”
A photo obtained by this masthead shows players, officials and broadcasters on the flight to Dubai. New Zealand star Kane Williamson can be seen in the image.
While it is unclear which England players were on board, James Vince, Tom Curran, Sam Billings and Chris Jordan were all involved in the PSL.
Adding to the disruption, players’ luggage remains in Pakistan, with efforts under way to have it returned.
No timeline has been confirmed for the resumption of either tournament. The England and Wales Cricket Board is reportedly exploring the possibility of hosting the remainder of the IPL in the UK.
