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West Indies cricket team and South Africa national cricket team Stuck in India Amid Middle East Airspace Crisis
West Indies and South Africa Teams to Leave India: The West Indies team, which played its last match against India on March 1, is still stranded in India. South Africa, which lost the semi-final against New Zealand on March 4, is also in India, while England, which lost the semi-final against India on March 5, has returned home.
Some teams that came to India to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 found it difficult to return home after the end of the games they participated in. This was because there was heavy bombing between Iran and Israel, which interfered with flights in the Middle East and West Asia.
The West Indies, whose last match was against India on the 1st of March, is still stuck in India. The West Indies lost the match against India. The West African team, which lost the semi-final match to New Zealand on the 4th of March, is also stuck in India. The English team, which lost the semi-final match to India on the 5th of March, has returned home. England's early return home while the West Indies and South Africa's presence in India has raised questions.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has accused the ICC of paying special attention. He said, "In this situation, all teams should be treated equally. A team's strength on the ICC standings shouldn't be a factor."
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South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock also criticized the ICC. De Kock wrote on Instagram, "It's funny how the ICC hasn't told us anything. Meanwhile, how is England somehow going ahead of us? West Indies and South Africa are just in the dark. It's strange that different teams are affected more than others."
Miller wrote in the comments section of an ESPNcricinfo post, "The funny thing is that England was eliminated after West Indies and South Africa and returned home tonight on a chartered flight, while West Indies and South Africa are still awaiting a response in Kolkata."
According to a report, the ICC responded to allegations of bias, stating that decisions on departure order are made solely based on airspace availability, aircraft routing permissions, visa requirements, and security. To suggest that teams are prioritized based on anything other than these constraints is incorrect. A few days ago, West Indies head coach Darren Sammy wrote in a post on Instagram, "I just want to go home." His post generated widespread international attention.
The ICC primarily bears the cost of the T20 World Cup teams' return home and related logistics, and is making arrangements to safely send these teams home. Consequently, the ICC will bear the cost of the remaining days these two teams stay in India.
