West Indies, South Africa played their last T20 World Cup games on March 1 and March 4, respectively
Ongoing US-Israel-Iran war threw travel plans into disarray
ICC states that ensuring "safe onward travel for all players and staff was the sole aim"
Middle East Conflict: Last Batch Of Stranded South Africa, West Indies Players Departs From India
The 16 remaining West Indies players were booked on commercial flights, and a 29-member South African contingent has also departed, more than a week after completing their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns
Summary
The final batch of South Africa and West Indies cricketers who were still in India after the T20 World Cup has departed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday (March 12, 2026), ending a crisis caused by the closure of Gulf air space following the West Asia conflict.
The ongoing US-Israel-Iran war disrupted travel plans, leaving the South African and West Indies teams stranded in Kolkata due to closure of air space and airports at major transit points like Dubai. The Windies and Proteas played their final T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata on March 1 and March 4, respectively.
While nine West Indies players had left earlier in the week, the remaining 16 were booked on commercial flights. A 29-member Proteas contingent has also departed.
"Within 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 a close a complex operation that has taken place under exceptionally challenging global travel conditions," the ICC stated.
The global governing body added that ensuring the "safe onward travel for all players and staff was the sole aim", which required frequent adjustments as conditions evolved.
"Throughout this period, the ICC's operations and logistics teams have worked continuously with governments, airlines, charter providers, airport authorities and our Member boards to navigate a number of operational disruptions caused by the evolving environment."
Criticism And Rebuttal
The ICC had earlier drawn criticism from former England skipper Michael Vaughan and star South Africa batters Quinton de Kock and David Miller, who speculated that England players were given better travel arrangements as they were able to leave within a day of their semi-final exit.
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy had also expressed frustration at the lack of updates from the governing body after a charter flight scheduled to depart from Kolkata was cancelled due to logistical issues.
The world body had eventually responded strongly to the overall criticism, saying: "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."
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The ICC's airline partner Emirates has been unable to operate flights following the shutdown of airspace over Dubai.
(With PTI inputs)
For how long have West Indies and South Africa players been stranded in India?
The last batch of departing West Indies cricketers had to stay back for 11 days, while the South Africans had to wait for eight days.
Why did some players criticise the ICC?
Players like Quinton de Kock and David Miller speculated that England players were given better travel arrangements as they were able to leave within a day of their semi-final exit.
How did ICC respond to the criticism?
The ICC hit back without naming anyone specifically, lambasting "uninformed and unhelpful" suggestions that "anything other than safety" was driving the travel plans.
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