West Indies cricketers shaken by 'terrifying' flight

Wellington (New Zealand), Dec 11 (IANS/CMC) West Indies captain Darren Sammy has admitted that his plane flight from Dunedin to Wellington for the second Test against New Zealand was his scariest for some time.

Sammy has vowed never to fly into Wellington again after high winds forced the pilot to abandon one landing attempt before getting both teams down safely Monday, reports CMC.

Other members of the West Indies team were also shaken up by the flight experience and some New Zealanders on the same flight were quoted as saying it was one of the roughest they had known.

“Most of our guys were a bit terrified, but hopefully the pitch at the Basin Reserve for the second Test is not as terrifying as the landing. I was once on a flight like that where one of the engines broke down and that was when I developed my fear of flying,” said Sammy.

“I was screaming like my daughter. I’m definitely taking the bus next time. I don’t mind the ferry. My wife was due to fly into that Wellington airport, I told her no chance so she’s going to do Sydney-Auckland not Sydney-Wellington. Not a chance.”

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has described the experience as ‘scary’ and ‘terrifying’ and said his players have now recovered.

“I don’t suppose anything can prepare you for that. It was a little bit scary, I’ve experienced it before myself in South Africa but a lot of us haven’t. There were a few finger nails chewed down to the bitter end,” said Gibson.

“We’ve recovered from it now. For some it was good fun, for some a bit terrifying.”

The first Test between West Indies and New Zealand ended in a draw.

–IANS/CMC

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