ICC deny talk of bias in sending England squad home ahead of SA, Windies

The wait to return home after their ICC T20 World Cup campaigns has been agonising for the West Indies and South Africa squads – but relief is finally in sight. Four South African players, along with their family members, boarded flights from Kolkata on Wednesday, while the remaining 29 members are scheduled to depart within the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, nine members of the West Indies squad have already left India, with the remaining 16 booked on flights within the next 12 hours.

The ongoing crisis across the Gulf region, which has caused widespread disruption to international air travel, had made the logistics nightmare for the International Cricket Council (ICC), the world governing body of cricket. The West Indies squad had been stranded in Kolkata since their exit from the tournament following their Super Eight loss to India on 1 March, while South Africa remained confined to their hotel rooms since their semi-final defeat on 4 March.

Although the travel delays were beyond the ICC’s control, both teams faced criticism over alleged preferential treatment for England, whose squad was able to leave on a chartered flight the day after losing their semi-final to India on 5 March. Senior South African players David Miller and Quinton de Kock voiced their frustrations on social media, questioning whether England had received an unwritten travel priority while South Africa and the West Indies were left waiting.

“Funny @ICC, we have heard nothing. Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow. @WestIndies and @OfficialProteas are just in the dark. Strange how different teams have more pull than others,” De Kock posted on Instagram.

Miller echoed his teammate’s frustration, posting: “Funny that England gets eliminated after WI and SA and gets on a charter back home tonight, while WI & SA still wait for answers in Kolkata.”

West Indies head coach Darren Sammy joined the conversation in support of Miller: “@davidmillersa12 a lil louder for those in the back to hear please, sir.” Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who was in Mumbai for a TV pundit assignment, also called for fair treatment, turning the spotlight on the ICC, which issued a press release on Wednesday morning.

“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,” the ICC statement said.

‘’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, which arose from separate circumstances, routing options and different travel conditions. Throughout this period, the ICC’s overriding priority has been the safety and welfare of everyone affected, including players travelling with spouses and young children. We will not move people until we are satisfied that the travel solution in place is safe and that commitment will not change,’’ it said.

With no end to the ongoing crisis in sight, the ICC has called off it’s key board and committee meetings in Doha later this month. The meetings were supposed to be held from 25-27 March but in the current scenario, the finance committee will be meeting virtually.

Meanwhile, the sports activities in the Middle East have received a huge jolt with there being question marks over the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabia GP. A cluster of events have been either cancelled or put off as the ATP’s Fujairah Challenger tournament in UAE had to be abruptly halted as an oilfield just nine km away from the venue caught fire amid the escalation in conflict.

 Two leading Russian players: Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who participated in Dubai ATP Championship last week, are experiencing travel difficulties in reaching California for the Indian Wells event.