Disgruntled players say they were left alone for many days during the tour, even though England had left within two days.
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Published March 11, 2026
Cricket’s governing body has rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after West Indies and South Africa were stranded in India for more than a week after withdrawing from the T20 World Cup, while England returned home after less than two days.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been accused of giving preferential treatment to one team over another amid travel disruption caused by airspace closures and route changes caused by the Middle East war.
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However, the ICC said on Wednesday it “rejects any suggestion that these decisions were driven by anything other than safety, feasibility or welfare.”
“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families are anxious to return home after completing their 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign,” it said in a statement.
Cricket West Indies announced on Tuesday that the team had waited nine days for a chartered flight but there had been “repeated delays” and said the uncertainty was “increasingly distressing”.
Disgruntled players aired their thoughts in social media posts as West Indies players left India on several commercial flights 10 days after their scheduled departure.
According to the ICC, nine West Indies players and staff have already traveled to the Caribbean, while the remaining 16 have booked flights to depart from India within the next 24 hours.
Indian media reported that a chartered flight for the West Indies and South Africa Twenty20 World Cup teams, which was scheduled to fly to Johannesburg before heading to Antigua, was canceled early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, South Africa, which has been stranded in India since March 4, will begin flights back home on Wednesday and the entire contingent will depart within the next 36 hours, the ICC said.
England returned home less than two days after losing in the semi-finals, sparking criticism of the ICC from the South African and West Indies camps.
West Indies head coach Darren Sammy has started venting his frustrations on social media, five days after his team was eliminated from the T20 World Cup.
“I want to go home,” he wrote to X, followed by another tweet requesting an update after being left alone for five days.
Three days after South Africa were eliminated in the first semi-final, South African players Quinton de Kock and David Miller said the team had not heard anything from the ICC about their departure while England, who were eliminated in the semi-final the following day, had already been sent off.
De Kock wrote on his Instagram Story: “For some reason England are leaving before us! It’s strange how different teams are being pushed more than others.”
Commenting on the post announcing England’s departure, Mr Miller said: “It won’t take long for the ICC to put together an England charter. Wisconsin has been waiting for a charter for 7 days, SA has now been waiting for 4 days, and we’re still waiting.”
The ICC said the criticism was “unwarranted” and that there was no comparison between the arrangements for South Africa and the West Indies and those for the United Kingdom, which “arised from separate circumstances, route options and different travel conditions”.
“Throughout this period, the ICC’s top priority has been the safety and welfare of everyone affected,” the sport’s world governing body said.
“We will not move people until we are satisfied that the travel solutions in place are safe and that commitment remains.”
