England cricket star Jonny Bairstow has called on the UK government to help the stranded England Lions to leave Dubai.
Bairstow is in the Gulf state with England’s development team for their series against Pakistan, however, all matches have been postponed due to the surrounding conflict which has spilled beyond Iran.
The closure of airspaces and airports have consequently left many stranded in Dubai, including the England Lions, who are coached by Andrew Flintoff.
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Dubai’s international airport and the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel were two places that suffered damage due to strikes launched at the United Arab Emirates.
Bairstow confirmed that he could hear the strikes as he waited at the airport to board his flight, but no planes were able to leave the area.
The 36-year-old first took to social media requesting that “if anyone has any intel in Dubai please reach out and keep safe”.
He repeated that plea hours later when he responded to a video of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement on the conflict in Iran.
“Can you get us home?” Bairstow replied to the video posted on X.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed in a statement that it is “monitoring the situation” in the Middle East, with the safety of their team and staff the 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,” the statement said.
“We will continue to monitor and assess the situation and official advice in relation to the future of these trips.”
Jonny Bairstow looks on. Getty
The travelling group is made up of 25 England Lions players and coaches.
Bairstow called for additional communication from global airline Emirates to keep passengers updated about the next steps following their flight cancellations.
“We haven’t had any communication post-flight getting cancelled,” he added.
“Tried the lines of communication but nothing. Could someone please be in contact.”
The board have announced the England women’s trip to Abu Dhabi that was scheduled to take place next week has been postponed.
The men’s team, however, will still travel to Mumbai to face India in the ICC T20 World Cup semi final as scheduled.