Left stranded after three flight cancellations, former New Zealand fast bowler Iain O’Brien, in a desperate move, has turned to Twitter to seek donations, as he tries to get back to his family in the UK.

O’Brien, who played 22 Tests, 10 ODIs and four T20Is for New Zealand but is now a UK resident, had been to his home country to deal with mental health issues. But his efforts to return to his family have been derailed by the outbreak of Covid-19, which has led to governments across the world imposing strict lockdowns and countries sealing their international borders.

“Ok, so trying to raise some money to pay for this flight back to the UK,” O’Brien wrote on Twitter.

“I have an idea. If anyone would love a 20 min Skype/vid call, one on one, talk about all things cricket, politics, sausages, mental health, Sachin, etc… If you’d like that & can spare a couple of $£, DM me.”

O’Brien has been particularly worried about getting back to the UK as his wife is suffering from a lung condition, which puts her health and safety at increased risk during the pandemic.

Speaking to stuff.co.nz earlier this week, O’Brien said: “The big bit for me is my wife has a lung condition, where if she gets any sort of chest infection, it can take time off her life. This virus could kill her.

“With a couple of kids for her to deal with, and her mum is 80, there’s a fair bit on her plate at the moment. I would be kind of keen to take some of that stress off her, but I think I’m just adding to it at the moment.”