South Africa’s cricket team, stranded in India due to international airspace closures caused by ongoing conflict in the Middle East, will begin returning home on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed. The entire contingent is expected to depart within the next 36 hours.
The team is among several, including West Indies, left stranded long after their Twenty20 World Cup campaigns ended, as the ICC faced challenges arranging chartered flights for repatriation. England’s team flew home just two days after their semi-final exit, which drew criticism from South African and West Indian officials.
In response, the ICC said the criticism was “incorrect” and emphasized that safety and welfare considerations guided all travel decisions. “On current arrangements, the South Africa contingent will begin departing for South Africa tonight, with all members expected to have departed within the next 36 hours,” the ICC stated.
The governing body stressed, “The ICC rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility, and welfare. Throughout this period, the ICC’s overriding priority has been the safety and welfare of everyone affected. We will not move people until we are satisfied that the travel solution in place is safe, and that commitment will not change.”
Meanwhile, Cricket West Indies announced it had booked commercial flights to repatriate its contingent in three groups, ensuring the team’s safe return home.
