Michael Vaughan (Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: After pulling out of the 2026 Men’s World T20 Cup early, the West Indies national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team were stranded in Kolkata for more than a week, drawing criticism from former England captain Michael Vaughan.Vaughan asked why England’s national cricket team managed to return home quickly while other teams were left stranded. England were eliminated on 5 March but reportedly flew home within 36 hours. Meanwhile, the West Indies were eliminated on March 1 and South Africa on March 4, yet both teams were still waiting in India a few days later.
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Frustrated with the situation, Vaughan wrote, “Just so you all know West Indies were knocked out of the World Cup on 1st March .. now it’s 9th March .. still stuck in Calcutta .. SA are in the same position .. !!!!!!!!!!!! That’s not right . . . England got chartered after knocking out all teams for 36 hours..The issue has also been raised by players like Quinton de Kock, David Miller and West Indies coach Daren Sammy, who have expressed concern over the delay.However, tournament organizers say the problem is not favoritism, but travel restrictions. According to the International Cricket Council and Cricket West Indies, the delay is linked to airspace restrictions caused by rising tensions in the Middle East involving the US, Israel and Iran. Several flight corridors in the Persian Gulf region were partially closed for security reasons.Flights to the UK can avoid the most affected zones by using northern routes, which is likely to have helped England return earlier. But routes to the Caribbean and South Africa pass closer to the restricted airspace of the Persian Gulf, leading to cancellations and clearance issues. A previously planned charter flight was reportedly canceled due to missing overflight permits.
