The war in the Middle East and West Asia has given rise to a major controversy in the T20 World Cup. The biennial event got over on Sunday with India beating New Zealand in a one-sided final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, but some of the teams are still stuck in the sub-continental nation due to restricted or no access to airspaces in many parts of the world.
For example the West Indies played their last game on March 1 but they are still in India. So is the case with South Africa who lost to New Zealand in their semifinal on March 4. England, however, are back home after losing the semifinal to India on March 5. Now that has given rise to the controversy with many accusing the International Cricket Council (ICC) of bias. Like, how come England manages to reach home so early, but the West Indies and the Proteas are still in India?
And the criticism comes from the English camp itself, believe it or not. Former England captain and now a renowned cricket voice, Michael Vaughan has been vocal about the situation, accusing the ICC of indulging in preferential treatment. “All teams in this situation should be treated the same. Just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count,” he said.
The BBC has reported that the ICC has now responded to these claims. “Decisions on departure sequencing are being driven solely by airspace availability, aircraft routing permissions, visa requirements and operational safety considerations.
“Any suggestion that teams have been prioritised based on anything other than these constraints is incorrect,” BBC quoted an ICC spokesperson.
Sammy loses patience over the ordeal
A few days ago, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy created a big stir on X. First, he wrote, “I just wanna go home’, and then he showed his frustrations with more posts on the same platform.
Later reports emerged that a chartered plane was being arranged to fly the Caribbean team home, scheduled for tomorrow. The South Africans are expected to depart today. The ICC has given more clarification on how England managed to leave India earlier than the West Indies and South Africa. “For instance, the England team and their staff were able to fly out from Mumbai without restriction due to the route’s airspace being unaffected and flights operating as usual.
“The ICC categorically refutes any claims of bias in this or other instances, and has been fully accommodating of specific demands and conditions put forth by teams,” it said.
