Why did England get a charter flight home while West Indies and South Africa remain stuck? Michael Vaughan accuses ICC of bias

Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan has slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what he called differential treatment of teams following their exit from the T20 World Cup.

In a post on X, Vaughan questioned why the England team was given a chartered flight to return home immediately after being knocked out of the tournament, while the South Africa and West Indies squads remain stranded in India — the latter for more than a week.

“So England got knocked out on Thurs get a charter home today… West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata… SA in the same position… That’s where the power is all wrong… All teams in this situation should be treated the same… just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count,” Vaughan wrote.




According to ESPNcricinfo, the England, South Africa and West Indies teams are set to leave India this weekend on charter flights arranged by the ICC after the ongoing conflict in West Asia disrupted commercial air travel.

England’s squad is expected to depart Mumbai for London on Saturday evening, while South Africa and West Indies will fly together from Kolkata, likely stopping in Johannesburg before heading to Antigua. However, both teams are still awaiting confirmation of their exact departure time, with the current understanding that they may leave on Sunday.

Some South African players, led by Keshav Maharaj, are expected to travel onward to New Zealand for a limited-overs tour beginning on March 15.

The South African and West Indies squads have been stuck in Kolkata since their elimination from the tournament. South Africa lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals on March 4, while West Indies were knocked out after a five-wicket defeat to India in the Super Eights on March 1.

The teams have been waiting for ICC-arranged charter flights due to airspace restrictions caused by the Israel–Iran conflict, which has disrupted flight routes across parts of the Middle East.

Earlier, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy expressed frustration over the delay, posting a brief message on X on Thursday: “I just wanna go home.”

Meanwhile, India will defend their title against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Ahmedabad, bringing an end to the tournament that began on February 7 across India and Sri Lanka.