Tillekeratne Dilshan, with his wife and son, and Upul Chandana at the Auckland airport on Thursday

Sydney: Sri Lanka?s cricketers face another anxious day?s wait before returning home, following the postponement of their tour of New Zealand. The players are desperate to return as quickly as possible, but have been left stranded in Auckland owing to lack of flights until Friday. ?Everyone is very eager to get back home, we all want to get back as soon as possible,? Sri Lanka manager Brendon Kuruppu said over the phone on Thursday.

?There are no flights until Friday so we won?t get home before Saturday but that?s not really a worry, we?re just relieved that we?re going home at all.?

Sri Lanka?s players were cleared to return home after the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed to postpone the tour following the devastating tsunami in Asia.

?The general feeling with everyone is that this was the right thing to do. Cricket is just not important at the moment,? Kuruppu said.

?No-one has been thinking about cricket. The players have just been staying in their hotel rooms watching everything on television and trying to phone home to get information.?

NZC officials said they fully supported Sri Lanka?s decision to return home. ?As the magnitude of the recent events in Sri Lanka have unfolded it has become more difficult for the Sri Lankan team to remain in New Zealand,? chief executive Martin Snedden said. (REUTERS)