‘Horrible’: Aussie presenters holed up in room amid conflict
Aussie presenters Grace Hayden and Erin Hollands have shared scary updates after the former Miss World Australia revealed she is holed up in a room.
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Aussie TV presenters Grace Hayden and Erin Hollands have shared updates as they remain caught up in the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan.
Holed up in her hotel room in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Holland, who is in the country covering the Pakistan Super League (PSL), told The Daily Telegraph she is ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Cricket stars from around the world are reportedly trying to get out of India as the rising tension between the nuclear-armed nations rises.
The political emergency on Friday forced Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chiefs to “indefinitely postpone” the Indian Premier League (IPL) — the world’s largest and most lucrative cricket tournament.
Hollands, who is married to Aussie cricketer Ben Cutting, has spoken about being caught up in the conflict.
“I am just trying to keep calm and control the controllables and at the moment it is sit tight,” she said.
“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’.”
While she can’t see anything from her hotel room, Holland said, “there’s a lot of air action”.
The former Miss World Australia is working alongside cricket commentator and former cricketer Lisa Sthalekar and five Australians play in the league, including former Australian vice-captain David Warner, Max Bryant, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott, Mitch Owen and Ben Dwarshuis.
The remainder of the PSL will be played in Dubai as tensions between the neighbouring countries continue to intensify, however Holland will need to leave on a chartered plane as the airspace above Pakistan is now closed.
Australian cricketers playing across the border in India are desperately trying to get home after the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended.
Aussies Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett and Mitch Owen have all been involved in this year’s IPL and are reportedly trying to make their way out.
Australian coaches Brad Haddin and Ricky Ponting are also set to return home.
Hayden, meanwhile, has also shared an update on her safety, posting a message on Instagram that showed her filming from inside a moving car.
She captioned the video on her Instagram stories: “Praying for safety and peace for all”.
The daughter of legendary Aussie opening batsman Matthew Hayden has emerged as one of the most popular up-and-coming TV presenters in cricket is working for broadcaster Star India throughout the IPL.
Her dad is also commentating for the national network.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph, Grace 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.”
She described the conflict between the nations as “heartbreaking”.
“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.”
The IPL’s decision comes after a match between Delhi and Punjab was cancelled on Thursday night due to a blackout stemming from air raid warnings in nearby Jammu and Pathankot.
While the $16 billion IPL has been postponed, organisers will now have to weigh up if there is an alternative location where it can be held or if it needs to be scrapped together.
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Originally published as ‘Horrible’: Aussie presenters holed up in room amid conflict
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