Proteas player Quinton de Kock has complained that the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave the England cricket team preferential treatment with their swift return home from the T20 World Cup.
England returned home on Saturday, after losing their semi-final against India two days prior.
The Proteas will take a chartered flight from Kolkata to Johannesburg, arriving on Tuesday morning. This is after losing their semi-final against New Zealand nearly a week before.
It would have been a particularly unusual and possibly frustrating wait for the SA cricket team after being dumped out of the tournament midway through the week and then having to wait six days for a flight out.
Safety Concerns in Dubai Lead to Travel Changes for South Africa
The reason, of course, is due to safety concerns in Dubai, which is the usual route South Africans travelling to or from India would likely take. The Dubai airport has already been the target of an Iranian attack with escalating tensions in the Middle East conflict.
“Funny @icc, we have heard nothing! Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow? @westindies and @proteasmencsa are just in the dark! Strange how different teams have more pull than others,” De Kock wrote on his Instagram story reacting to the news.
Unlike when the Proteas won the World Test Championship (WTC) last year, the Proteas were greeted by hordes of fans at OR Tambo International as skipper Temba Bavuma and the rest of the team were treated to a hero’s welcome on their return.
On Tuesday, it will likely be a rather more sombre affair as the exact time of their arrival has not been communicated.
@Michael_Sherman
IOL Sport
