A CRICKET team stuck in a Peruvian hotel amid a coronavirus lockdown are desperately searching for a way home.

Stanton Harcourt’s tour was thrown into chaos when they were given 24 hours to leave the South American country after a state of emergency was declared on Sunday night.

But the 14-strong group were unable to board a plane back to the UK before all flights were suspended and have since been stranded in Peru’s capital, Lima.

Matt Eagle only joined the trip on Friday, but the situation unravelled rapidly over the following 48 hours.

The 27-year-old said: “When I arrived it hadn’t really kicked off as much, so I had a couple of days to explore Lima.

“But on Sunday night the president announced a complete lockdown and shut the borders.

“We tried to get out on Monday, which proved impossible as the airport was manic.

“The authorities were telling us not to try to get a flight as it was so busy.”

The club had already travelled through Brazil and Argentina, with Peru their third stop before they were due to finish in Colombia and fly home on March 31.

Eagle captained the side to victory in one of their final two tour matches last Saturday, with more cricket soon out of the question.

The Peruvian government have since imposed a nationwide curfew between 8pm and 5am every day, with people only allowed out to visit supermarkets or pharmacies.

The team checked into a hotel to find all the facilities closed, although the gym and bar have since reopened.

But Eagle, a Stanton Harcourt resident, revealed the team were putting all their energy into plotting a route back.

He said: “It’s quite scary being stuck here. We’re just biding our time working out how we’re going to get home.

“The military are patrolling the streets with machine guns and questioning you if you’re out and about.

“They’re doing the right thing by trying to contain the spread, but it’s unsettling being this far away from home.”

Peru confirmed its first coronavirus-related death on Thursday, while the country had 234 recorded cases as of yesterday.

There are about 400 Britons still in Peru and Eagle is part of a WhatsApp group where many are discussing a plan of action.

This week, foreign secretary Dominic Raab admitted repatriating citizens from the country was proving particularly difficult.

Colombian airline Avianca is operating a charter flight to London this weekend, but tickets costing up to £3,000 have left Eagle and his teammates hoping for other options.

He said: “They’re exploiting people in a dire situation.

"There’s a lot of people that literally can’t afford to pay that, but they’ll do anything to get home.

“Most of our group is healthy and okay, but some have health problems and we’re all worried about everything in the UK.”

Stanton Harcourt have appealed for help from Witney MP Robert Courts, who said: “I and my team are in regular email contact with the club and have offered them assistance from the Foreign Office, to whom I have spoken a number of times and am urging to work with the club to bring them home as soon as possible.”