ICC rejects bias claims as West Indies, South Africa stranded after World Cup

Dubai: The International Cricket Council has flatly rejected allegations of favouritism after England’s swift return home from the T20 World Cup while the West Indies and South Africa remained marooned in India, scrambling for seats on commercial flights complicated by Middle-East airspace restrictions.

England touched down in the United Kingdom on March 6, barely 24 hours after their semi-final defeat on March 5. In contrast, the West Indies have been stuck in Kolkata since their elimination on March 1, and South Africa’s travelling party found their pre-arranged charter flights cancelled because of the escalating conflict around Gulf transit hubs.

An ICC statement released on Wednesday said any inference of preferential treatment was “unhelpful and incorrect”, stressing that every decision was governed by “safety, feasibility and welfare”.

“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,” the governing body insisted, noting that routing options, aircraft availability and passenger profiles differed in each instance.

Frustration inside the West Indies camp reached breaking point earlier this week. Cricket West Indies revealed that players and staff, many accompanied by spouses and young children, faced an “increasingly distressing” wait for an ICC-organised charter that never materialised. CWI eventually advised the squad to abandon the charter plan and pursue commercial alternatives, working alongside the ICC to secure seats on scheduled services.

Progress finally came on Wednesday. The ICC confirmed that nine members of the West Indies contingent had already departed for the Caribbean, with the remaining 16 booked on flights leaving India within 12 hours. South Africa’s exodus also began: four players and five family members have boarded flights, while the remaining 29 members of their delegation are scheduled to leave inside the next 24 hours.

Officials emphasised that no one will be moved until a “safe and viable” travel solution is locked in, a stance the ICC says will remain non-negotiable.