By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Sierra Leone Cricket U-19 Men’s World Cup African qualifiers in Lagos has been surrounded by a harrowing “serious-death” flight experience, leaving them without their essential cricket kits and personal belongings.

Despite the team’s arrival in Lagos on Thursday morning their journey however was a turbulent one as Asky Airlines flight them plunged them into a terrifying ordeal. Team Manager John Caps-Jenner described a flight riddled with severe turbulence, forcing an emergency landing in Lome, Togo.

“The plane had to stop in another country to drop and pick some passengers, and suddenly, we got into a heavy storm that dragged the plane all over the place.

Upon landing in Lagos at approximately 3:00 am, they discovered that their entire luggage, including their crucial cricket equipment and personal clothing were missing. The traumatic flight left the team shaken, with some players unable to train on Thursday. “Honestly, that is the most dangerous moment I have experienced because I was very close to death,” Caps-Jenner confessed.

Meanwhile, Caps-Jenner said the team remains determined to compete in the qualifiers. “The boys have the willingness to cope with the ongoing crisis,” he confidently expressed.