ICC issues clarification over delay in team departures from Men's T20 World Cup

The ICC has underlined the "ongoing crisis across the Gulf region" as the primary reason behind the delay in team departures from the Men's T20 World Cup. ICC's clarification has come amid the ongoing controversy regarding the delay in home-bound travel of West Indies and South African players following their participation in the signature ICC event.

Several West Indies and South African players have been stuck in Kolkata following the end of their respective campaigns. While West Indies' journey at the tournament came to an end after their five-wicket loss to the co-hosts India in the last Super Eight fixture at the Eden Gardens on March 1, the Proteas lost to New Zealand by nine wickets in the first semifinal at the same venue on March 4.

"The delay is the direct result of the ongoing crisis across the Gulf region, which has caused widespread and continuing disruption to international air travel, including airspace closures, missile warnings, re-routing constraints, as well as the cancellation and rescheduling of both commercial and charter flights at short notice. 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 in a release.

The global cricket governing body also shared that South African players will begin their homeward travel on Wednesday, March 11, "with all members expected to have departed within the next 36 hours." As per the ICC, the West Indians are also likely to reach the Caribbean soon.

Meanwhile, the ICC also quashed the possibility of giving preference to England for homebound travel after Quinton de Kock and David Miller expressed their frustration and displeasure.

"The ICC rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare. Suggestions otherwise across a variety of media platforms from people uninformed of the situation are as unhelpful as they are incorrect.

"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," read the ICC release.