Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ENGLISH county cricket side Derbyshire men’s cricket team are no longer coming to Zimbabwe for their pre-season tour because of the cancellation of connecting flights in UAE due to the war in the Middle East.
The team was expected to land in Zimbabwe today but will instead head to Desert Springs, Spain, for a six-day training camp later this month.
Derbyshire were booked for a two-week pre-season tour of Zimbabwe, flying in via Doha, but they were forced to abandon the plans due to flights suspension.
However, the club said in a statement that the Qatar Airways flights booked for the tour, scheduled to pass through Doha, were cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the region, and alternative routes were not financially viable for the club on short notice.
Derbyshire’s Head of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, said they have since engaged their hosts, Zimbabwe Cricket, on the changes.
“Due to the huge disruption to travel worldwide means we cannot go ahead with our trip to Zimbabwe,” said Arthur.
“We thank Zimbabwe Cricket for their understanding and co-operation throughout this process, we have had to move quickly to ensure our players can get a good amount of outdoor training before the new season and we are pleased to have secured a top-level facility in Desert Springs on short notice.
“This is a crucial part of our pre-season preparation; it allows our players to train on grass pitches and get some good work in their legs outdoors. It also gives us the opportunity to discuss our plans for the new season, which we are all optimistic for.”
In recent days, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Glamorgan have all announced cancellations or alterations to their pre-season tours, and due to further uncertainty around the return journey, Derbyshire have now followed suit and will instead return to Desert Springs for an outdoor training camp in Spain from March 14-20.
Afterwards they will engage in friendlies against Leicestershire and Leeds/Bradford UCCE as part of the final pre-season preparations. Zimbabwe has become a favourite destination for pre-season preparations by the English county cricket sides in recent years.
