Andrew Flintoff and England Lions stuck in Dubai amid Iran's drones and missiles attack

The UAE airspace is closed at present, leaving the England Lions contingent with no other choice than to stay back at their hotel.

Updated on: Mar 1, 2026, 14:09:47 IST

Written by Prateek Srivastava

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Former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff and the England Lions are stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following Iran's retaliatory missiles and drones strikes all across the Middle East on Saturday.

Andrew Flintoff and 24 other members of the England Lions contingent are affected by the ongoing situation in the Middle East. (AP)

England Lions, second only to the English national team hierarchy-wise, were due to play Pakistan Shaheens in Dubai on Sunday but the resumption of the war has now led to the cancellation of the match. Both the teams had played once before. There are 25 members in the England Lions contingent, players and coaches included.

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UAE's airspace is closed at present, which means the players and the coaches cannot fly out. Their family members and friends must be worried. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), in what should be a big relief to them, have stated that they are in touch with the Emirati authorities, and are prioritizing their players' safety at present.

A spokesperson for the England and Wales Cricket Board said: "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 source was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Appeal from Jonny Bairstow!

England international Jonny Bairstow , on X, he has written: "@emirates we haven’t had any communication post flight getting cancelled. Tried the lines of communication but nothing. Could someone please be in contact."

CNN meanwhile has confirmed that some of the UAE's major landmarks have been hit by Iran. The Dubai Airport, the Fairmont Hotel in the ritzy Palm Jumeirah district, and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport are some of the popular places where the Iranian missiles and drones have hit with precision.

The English women team was also scheduled to reach Dubai for a training camp next week but in light of these horrific events, they have been asked not to travel.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also monitoring the situation in the Middle East. They are in touch with the Shaheens and doing their best to ensure their well-being.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prateek Srivastava
Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there. After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month. Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their ""Short News"" content team at UC Browser. While cricket is Prateek’s expertise, he has also done a lot of golf. In fact, he has covered India’s first two European Tour events back in the late noughties. He has also done extensive writing on football having been associated with the Indian Super League for three seasons. Finally, Prateek is a literature aficionado and swears by Philip Roth and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and when he doesn’t joke, he is usually quiet and at work.Read More

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