Team India are stranded in Barbados due to Hurricane after their T20 World Cup 2024 triumph on Saturday against South Africa at the Kensington Oval.
The Indian team will stay in Bridgetown for an additional day. According to the World Cup schedule, Sunday was set aside as the reserve day for the final, and the team was scheduled to depart on Monday.
Originally, the itinerary had the team flying to New York before taking flights to Mumbai. However, the BCCI managers are now compelled to make alternative arrangements, with BCCI secretary Jay Shah personally overseeing the logistics.
The BCCI is initially attempting to ascertain whether the Barbados airport will remain operational, with indications suggesting it could close from 8pm on Sunday evening. Consequently, the board is currently exploring the option of chartering a flight from the USA for direct transportation to India.
With the unexpected development of the hurricane, adjustments are being made to the itinerary. The entire entourage, comprising support staff, families, and officials, totals approximately 70 members, necessitating an aircraft large enough to accommodate all. Such aircraft are apparently unavailable in the Caribbean, so efforts are underway to secure one from the USA.
"Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, intensified into a 'very dangerous' Category 3 storm on Sunday morning as it churned toward Barbados and the Windward Islands, promising destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center," CNN reported.
Currently, Beryl was over 400 kilometres away from Barbados, with wind speeds nearing 200 kmph.
“The centre of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands Monday morning and across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea late Monday through Wednesday,” the weather centre said.
“A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where the eye makes landfall in the Hurricane warning area,” the NHC further added