Former England captain Michael Vaughan and current South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock have voiced their frustrations with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what they see as unfair treatment. With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East causing airspace closures in West Asia, teams that were eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2026 found themselves unable to return home. The West Indies, who played their last match in Kolkata on March 1, have been stranded since then. South Africa was knocked out on March 4, followed by England on March 5. Yet, surprisingly, England was the first of the three to leave India. England national cricket team depart first as others wait for charter flights Earlier today, it was announced that the ICC has organized charter flights for all three teams. England departed from Mumbai to London in the evening. But why were the West Indies or South Africa not prioritized? They were eliminated earlier, so shouldn’t they have been sent home first? Instead, both teams are scheduled to leave together on March 8, with their charter flight making its way to Johannesburg before heading to Antigua. Also Read | 'Goal is to Silence the Crowd': Mitchell Santner Sends Bold Message Before T20 WC 2026 Final vs India This situation has left both Vaughan and de Kock feeling uneasy. Vaughan has criticized the ICC for what he perceives as bias, suggesting that England was given preferential treatment because the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) wields more influence in cricket than Cricket South Africa (CSA) or Cricket West Indies (CWI). The whole scenario raises important questions about how the ICC makes decisions regarding different teams. Michael Vaughan believes that the ECB's greater clout in world cricket might explain why the England national team was allowed to leave before the West Indies and South Africa. Quinton de Kock has also expressed concerns about the fairness of this decision. Although the ICC eventually arranged charter flights for all teams, this controversy has ignited a discussion about equal treatment and transparency in the administration of global cricket. “All teams in this situation should be treated the same. Just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count,”