South Africa to begin departure after week-long delay, ICC confirms

Members of the South African contingent at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 are set to begin departing for home on Wednesday night, with all members expected to leave within the next 36 hours, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.

The update follows frustration among players over delays in travel arrangements. South Africa's Quinton de Kock and David Miller had publicly questioned why England could leave earlier while South Africa and West Indies players remained in Kolkata.

De Kock wrote on Instagram: "Funny @icc, we have heard nothing! Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow? @westindies and @proteasmencsa are just in the dark! Strange how different teams have more pull than others."

Miller echoed similar sentiments, writing: "Funny that England gets eliminated after WI & SA and gets on a charter back home tonight, while WI & SA still wait for answers in Kolkata."

Responding to the criticism, the ICC said the situations involving different teams were unrelated and driven by varying logistical conditions.

"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," the ICC said.

For the West Indies contingent, departures started on commercial flights after repeated delays to an ICC-organised charter flight meant to carry both teams, as confirmed by Cricket West Indies. The ICC stated that nine members from the West Indies squad had already begun travelling, while the remaining 16 are scheduled to depart India within the next 24 hours.

The ICC acknowledged the frustration, stating: "We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their campaigns are anxious to return home. That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of genuine frustration, and the International Cricket Council shares that frustration."

The governing body attributed the delays to the ongoing crisis across the Gulf region, which it said had caused "widespread and continuing disruption to international air travel," including airspace closures and flight cancellations.

"These are conditions entirely outside the ICC's control, and they have made each travel solution significantly more complex and time-consuming than under normal circumstances," the ICC said.

The ICC added that it had been working with airlines, charter operators, and government stakeholders to secure travel arrangements and thanked all parties for their patience.