Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has once again criticised the ICC for the flight arrangements after the T20 World Cup. Despite being knocked out of the tournament for more than a week, both South Africa and the West Indies are still in Kolkata due to the travel restrictions in the Middle East.
While West Indies and South Africa await their travel arrangements, England headed back home on March 7 on a chartered flight. Since then, the likes of Vaughan, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Daren Sammy have all questioned the ICC`s flight planning post-tournament.
Michael Vaughan took to X to express his disappointment, claiming that the travel arrangement should have been made for the West Indies and South Africa to return home earlier, given that they had spent more days in India than England.
Just to let you all know that the West Indies got knocked out of the World Cup on March 1st .. it’s now March 9th .. they are still stranded in Kolkata .. SA are in the same position .. !!!!!!!!!!!! This isn’t right … England got on a charter 36 hrs after being knocked out ..…
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 10, 2026
West Indies were knocked out of the World Cup on March 1 after losing to India at Eden Gardens, while South Africa were knocked out on March 4 after their semi-final defeat against New Zealand. Meanwhile, England lost their semi-final clash against India on March 5.
The West Indies Cricket Board give an update regarding the team`s delay in departure
The West Indies team are stuck in Kolkata for more than a week after they were knocked out of the T20 World Cup. The Caribbean side was eliminated in the Super Eight stage of the competition; however, the squad is still in India, given the flight restrictions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
West Indies Cricket Board released a statement confirming that a charter flight had been arranged by the ICC to take the players back home.
“While the situation remains complex and fluid due to international airspace restrictions arising from security concerns in the Gulf region, CWI assures the public that every precaution is being taken to ensure the safe return of the team to the Caribbean,” the statement said.
In the meantime, West Indies players and coach vented their frustration at the lack of communication via social media. Coach Darren Sammy posted a few tweets criticising the poor communication with the players, while Shimron Hetmyer posted a message saying he is missing his family.
