Michael Vaughan fires fresh salvo despite ICC's clarification on there being no ‘bias’ in travel plans for ENG, SA, WI

Former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned the ICC once again over the West Indies and South Africa still being stuck in India.

Updated on: Mar 10, 2026, 13:51:53 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) might have come out in the open and issued a clarification that England would head back home from India before the West Indies and South Africa; however, former Three Lions captain Michael Vaughan still fired a fresh salvo at the world body, questioning the dynamics at play. Ever since crashing out of the Men's T20 World Cup, both South Africa and the Windies have been stuck in India due to the travel restrictions in the Middle East due to the ongoing war between the USA/Israel and Iran.

Michael Vaughan questioned the ICC once again (Getty)

However, England, which lost the second semi-final against India, headed back home on March 7 after a chartered flight was arranged. However, ever since then, several names such as Vaughan, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Daren Sammy have questioned the ICC about how exactly England travelled earlier than the other two teams, even though they had been in India for a longer duration.

Also Read: Controversy: ICC explains why England managed to leave India earlier than West Indies and South Africa

Taking to social media on Tuesday, Vaughan once again said that arrangements should have been made for the West Indies and South Africa to return home, and that the situation should never have been about one team returning earlier than the other two.

“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 .. as should be the case for all teams,” Vaughan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

‘Incorrect claims’

Earlier, an ICC spokesperson had categorically stated that no teams have been given preferential treatment, and that travel plans are being made based on airspace availability and aircraft routing permissions.

“Decisions on departure sequencing are being driven solely by airspace availability, aircraft routing permissions, visa requirements and operational safety considerations,” BBC quoted an ICC spokesperson as saying.

“Any suggestion that teams have been prioritised based on anything other than these constraints is incorrect,” he added.

According to a report on ESPNcricinfo, both West Indies and South Africa will head back home on Tuesday, March 10, and received confirmation of the same on Sunday. Both teams will travel to Johannesburg, and from there on, the Windies contingent will head to Antigua.

West Indies were eliminated from the World Cup after losing to India in the Super 8s, while the Proteas lost against New Zealand in the semi-final. England crashed out after these two teams, after coming up short against the eventual winners India in the second semi-final.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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