South Africa and West Indies will finally leave Kolkata after days of uncertainty. The two teams had been stranded because of the conflict situation in West Asia, which disrupted major flight routes.
A special charter flight has now been arranged for the players. Both teams are scheduled to depart late Monday night. They are expected to reach home on Tuesday.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram and West Indies captain Shai Hope will travel on the same flight along with their teammates.
West Indies were eliminated from the T20 World Cup last Sunday. South Africa exited the tournament earlier after losing the semi-final on Wednesday. Since then, both teams had been staying at a hotel in Kolkata as flights through Dubai and Doha were unavailable due to airspace restrictions.
The delay triggered frustration among players. West Indies head coach Daren Sammy and South African players Quinton de Kock and David Miller voiced their concerns on social media.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) then stepped in to find an alternative solution. Officials arranged a chartered aircraft for the teams. However, the flight initially did not receive operational clearance. The required permission has now been granted.
Both teams will now travel on the same aircraft. The flight will first land in Johannesburg, where the South African players will disembark. It will then continue to Antigua with the West Indies squad.
Not all South African players remained in India. George Linde, Jason Smith and Keshav Maharaj, along with members of the support staff, left for New Zealand on Sunday. South Africa are scheduled to play a five-match T20I series there starting 15th March.
England faced a similar situation earlier in the week. Harry Brook’s team was stuck in Mumbai for two days after losing to India in the semi-final. However, England eventually flew back to London on Saturday evening.
The ICC has faced criticism over the handling of travel arrangements. Many questioned why England’s return was organised quickly while South Africa and West Indies had to wait longer.
Zimbabwe also faced travel problems. Their team remained stranded in Delhi for three days due to the same airspace restrictions.
