Dubai, March 12 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the safe return of the last travelling groups from both South Africa and the West Indies, who were stranded in India following the conclusion of their 2026 T20 World Cup campaigns.

“Within the past 24 hours, South Africa’s remaining 29 members and the West Indies’ final 16 members have departed on flights to their respective homelands, bringing to a close a complex operation that has taken place under exceptionally challenging global travel conditions,” the ICC said.

During this period, the ICC’s operations and logistics teams consistently collaborated with governments, airlines, charter providers, airport authorities, and their member boards to manage operational disruptions arising due to challenging global travel conditions.

They mentioned their primary goal was to ensure safe travel for all remaining players and staff, which involved making continuous adjustments as circumstances evolved.

“We thank Cricket South Africa, Cricket West Indies and their entire squads for their support throughout this process, and also the ICC staff who worked tirelessly to ensure that all players, staff and their families were able to make safe journeys home,” the ICC added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the ICC announced that four South African players and five family members had taken flights and were heading home. All 29 other members of their group are expected to leave within the next 24 hours.

Nine members of the West Indies team had already left for the Caribbean, while the remaining 16 had their flights booked to depart India within the next 12 hours.

The delay was caused by the ongoing crisis in the Gulf region, which has led to widespread disruptions in international air travel. This includes airspace closures, missile alerts, rerouting issues, and the sudden cancellation or rescheduling of both commercial and charter flights.

“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 had stated on the matter.

–IANS

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