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West Indies and South Africa cricket squads left India after the 2026 T20 World Cup amid travel disruptions from the US-Israel-Iran conflict. The ICC ensured secure travel.
South Africa, West Indies teams have all left for home. (AP)
The ultimate batches of cricket squads from West Indies and South Africa have left India after the 2026 T20 World Cup, bringing an end to their draining and controversial stay within the country resulting from the airspace crisis attributable to the US-Israel-Iran conflict in West Asia.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that after nine West Indies players had left earlier this week, the remaining 16 were booked on industrial flights on Thursday. A 29-member Proteas contingent has also departed the country and can reach home soon.
“Throughout the past 24 hours, South Africa’s remaining 29 members and the West Indies’ final 16 members have departed on flights to their respective homelands, bringing to an in depth a posh operation that has taken place under exceptionally difficult global travel conditions,” the ICC said.
ICC added that ensuring the “secure onward travel for all players and staff was the only aim”, which required constant adjustments as conditions evolved.
“Throughout this era, the ICC’s operations and logistics teams have worked repeatedly with governments, airlines, charter providers, airport authorities, and our Member boards to navigate various operational disruptions attributable to the evolving environment,” it added.
The difficulty became controversial after players from the West Indies complained last week that they’d received no update from the ICC about their departure days after their World Cup campaign ended. Frustrated and longing for his or her families, several criticised the ICC on social media.
The South Africans followed suit soon after their exit from the semi-final. They questioned why England were allowed to depart on a charter in just a day after they were free. Questions of bias were raised against the ICC, which the world body denied, arguing that the difference was resulting from the restricted airspace and the several origin cities for South Africa and the West Indies — Kolkata — in comparison with England leaving from Mumbai.
March 12, 2026, 15:26 IST
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