ICC President Jay Shah has issued an official statement following former England captain Michael Vaughan’s claims of serious bias regarding recent travel plans. After the T20 World Cup, Vaughan said that the ICC unfairly favored England over South Africa and the West Indies amid the ongoing war.
The tournament has officially ended, but many players, coaches, support staff and their families are currently facing unexpected delays in returning home. The aviation crisis and tensions in the Middle East have affected international travel arrangements for participating teams stuck in India.
ICC Chief Jay Shah rejects Michael Vaughan’s allegations of bias
Michael Vaughan accused the ICC of favoring England, who immediately went home after their semi-final defeat on 5 March. The governing body rejected baseless allegations regarding the stranded West Indies and South Africa teams.
“The ICC rejects any suggestion that these decisions were motivated by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare. Suggestions from people ignorant of the situation on various media platforms are as unhelpful as they are wrong,” the statement said.
“There is no connection between the arrangements made in the cases of South Africa and the West Indies and those previously made for England or any other country, which arose from different circumstances, routing choices and different travel conditions.”
Situation completely out of ICC’s control – Official Statement
West Indies were eliminated at the Super 8 stage on 1 March, while South Africa suffered a semi-final defeat on 4 March. The ICC expressed disappointment and blamed airspace issues happening across the Gulf.
“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns are eager to return home. That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of real disappointment, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) shares that disappointment.”
“The delays are a direct result of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf region, which has caused widespread and sustained disruption to international air travel, including airspace closures, missile alerts, re-routing disruptions, as well as the cancellation and rescheduling of both commercial and charter flights at short notice.”
“These are circumstances entirely beyond the ICC’s control, and they have made each travel solution significantly more complex and time-consuming than under normal circumstances.”
Official travel update for stranded South African and West Indies players
Cricket West Indies had recently revealed that their players and staff will be leaving India on commercial flights in different batches. The International Cricket Council provided a detailed program regarding the immediate departure of all remaining stranded cricket teams.
“As per the current arrangement, the South African contingent will commence departure to South Africa from tonight, with all members expected to depart within the next 36 hours.”
“Nine members of the West Indies contingent are already traveling to the Caribbean, while the remaining 16 are booked on flights departing from India within the next 24 hours. We will provide updates on further departures as arrangements are confirmed.”
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