The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday officially responded to allegations of bias as travel complications emerged following the end of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India. In the wake of the conflict in the Middle East, several teams found themselves stranded in India. Most affected among them were the West Indies, who were eliminated in the Super 8 stage on March 1, and South Africa, who suffered a semifinal exit on March 4.
The allegations emerged after some prominent cricket voices, including Michael Vaughan, accused the ICC of favouring England, who managed to travel back home immediately after their semifinal loss to India on March 5.
In a strongly worded statement, the governing body said: “The ICC rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare. Suggestions otherwise across a variety of media platforms from people uninformed of the situation are as unhelpful as they are incorrect.
There is no link between arrangements made in the cases of South Africa and the West Indies and those made previously for England or any other nation, which arose from separate circumstances, routing options and different travel conditions.”
The ICC acknowledged the players’ and support staff’s frustration with the uncertainty around their travel home, but explained that the delay was due to the ongoing crisis across the Gulf region, which has severely disrupted international air travel.
“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns are anxious to return home. That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of genuine frustration, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) shares that frustration.
The delay is the direct result of the ongoing crisis across the Gulf region, which has caused widespread and continuing disruption to international air travel, including airspace closures, missile warnings, re-routing constraints, as well as the cancellation and rescheduling of both commercial and charter flights at short notice. These are conditions entirely outside the ICC’s control, and they have made each travel solution significantly more complex and time-consuming than under normal circumstances.”
In an update, the ICC revealed that while the South Africa contingent will depart within the next 36 hours, West Indies players are being sent back home batch by batch.
“On current arrangements, the South Africa contingent will begin departing for South Africa tonight, with all members expected to have departed within the next 36 hours. Of the West Indies contingent, nine members are already travelling to the Caribbean, while the remaining 16 are booked on flights departing India within the next 24 hours. We will provide updates on further departures as confirmed arrangements are in place.”
The ICC’s statement came after Cricket West Indies revealed on Tuesday that their players are leaving India on commercial flights in batches. Some players and staff have already departed, while others are scheduled to leave on different flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, CWI said in a statement.
