Australian TV presenter in Islamabad: ‘I am trying to stay calm’
Australian TV presenter Erin Holland has spoken from her Islamabad hotel room as tensions continue to rise between Pakistan and India.
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It is an anxious wait for TV presenter Erin Holland as she remains holed up in her Islamabad hotel room amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and India.
Holland is on ground with commentator and former captain of the Australian women’s national team Lisa Sthalekar covering the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where six Australians are playing.
“There is a lot of air action but I can’t see much from my hotel room,” Holland told The Daily Telegraph.
“I am just trying to keep calm and control the controllables and at the moment it is sit tight. I have got my bags packed ready to go. We just don’t know what is happening and when we are going. At the moment it is a ‘maybe’.”
Organisers have announced the PSL will move to Dubai for the remainder of the competition.
Commercial flights though are suspended with organisers attempting to secure a charter flight to evacuate those involved in the tournament.
Australians playing are David Warner, Max Bryant, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott, Mitch Owen and Ben Dwarshuis.
“They’ve decided that the safest thing for all of us is to move the competition now and take it to safe neutral ground,” Holland explained.
“It has to be a charter flight because we can’t just jump on the next flight out with the airspace closed.”
She added: “I am really saddened by all of this. They are both countries that I go to very frequently, the two countries that I’ve visited most in the world and I’ve only had the best of experiences in both so it is really sad to see this escalate so quickly.”
Across the border in India, Australians involved in the Indian Premier League are also trying to get out of the country.
Grace Hayden is there presenting for major broadcaster Star India, while her dad, cricket great Matthew, is commentating.
Grace, 22, is currently in Mumbai while her father has travelled overnight from Dharamshala to Delhi and is also attempting to get home to Australia.
“It was pretty scary last night at studio watching the game and they called it off so we all just watched what was going on there,” Grace said.
“Dad is okay, they got him and everyone out safely. They are handling it really well. We are taking it minute by minute so it feels pretty foreign right now.”
Grace has worked with the IPL for the past four years and mirrored Holland’s comments.
“I have a deep love for both countries,” she said.
“To watch this unfold is heartbreaking, just horrible. I understand that I am extremely privileged and that I have options. It is all very sad.”
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Originally published as Australian TV presenter in Islamabad: ‘I am trying to stay calm’
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