County Teams Cancel Middle East Tours Due to Regional Conflict
Durham, Yorkshire, and Glamorgan have cancelled their pre-season tours of the Middle East in response to the escalating conflict in the Gulf region.
Yorkshire and Durham were scheduled to travel to the United Arab Emirates, while Glamorgan had planned a tour to Oman.
On Saturday, the United States and Israel initiated strikes on Iran, which retaliated by launching attacks on US-allied states in the area.
Durham's men's squad was set to depart for Abu Dhabi next Monday, with the women's team scheduled to leave two weeks later on 23 March.
Yorkshire had planned to leave on Saturday but will now conduct a training camp in Spain instead.
"The safety and wellbeing of our players and staff is always our absolute priority," said Durham director of cricket Marcus North.
"We have been monitoring the situation closely alongside the relevant authorities and, after careful consideration, we believe this is the right decision."
North added that Durham is working on alternative arrangements to ensure the squad is fully prepared for the upcoming season.
The 2026 County Championship season is scheduled to commence on 3 April.
"We will make a further announcement in due course on our scheduled women's tour. We will continue to assess all information available to us and make decisions in the best interests of everyone involved," North said.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the conflict in the region at this difficult time."
Glamorgan had planned matches against Worcestershire and the host nation Oman as part of their warm-weather preparations for the county season.
"Above all else, our thoughts are with those affected in the region at this time," said Glamorgan chief executive Dan Cherry.
"We have been monitoring the situation very closely and the decision has been made after careful consideration and dialogue.
"The safety and wellbeing of our players and staff is our utmost priority at all times.
"We are currently working hard to identify alternatives, both abroad and in the UK, to ensure we are fully prepared for the 2026 season and details of renewed plans will follow as soon as they are confirmed."
