ICC commits another blunder ahead of T20 World Cup final; forces South Africa team to sleep at airport with families

In a shocking incident, South African players, their families and match officials were stranded at Trinidad airport after the Proteas’ historic semi-final win over Afghanistan.

According to a report from ESPNCricinfo, a failed landing of a small private plane in Barbados led to the complete closure of Grantley Adams Airport by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Barbados Police Department. Barbados.

Also read: ‘Kis Einstein ne kaha tha?’ Shoaib Akhtar rips England, Pakistan Experts after India’s T20 World Cup final win

Flights to Barbados have been suspended and reorganized

It is believed the plane’s pilot received information of the runway closure at Bridgetown as the South African team was about to board the plane for Barbados.

“It appears the private plane’s landing gear did not deploy, but it is currently safely on the runway at GAIA (Grantley Adams International Airport),” said Sharleen Brown, a specialist in corporate communications at GAIA, in a press release, confirming that all three people on board – two passengers and a pilot – were safe and sound.

Passengers travelling from Trinidad to Barbados were informed of the delay, which equates to almost six hours of waiting for passengers.

Logistical nightmares continue at T20 World Cup 2024

This is not the first time that the 2024 T20 World Cup has faced logistical challenges. Earlier, the Sri Lankan team had to spend an entire night at the airport while travelling from Florida to New York during the group stage of the competition. Sri Lankan player Maheesh Theekshana also spoke about the constant travel and logistical challenges his team faces.

Recently, Afghanistan had their flight delayed before arriving in Trinidad for their semi-final against South Africa. Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott even criticised the ICC for not allowing enough time between the Super 8 and the semi-finals.

The tournament was co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States. With so many countries (different Caribbean islands and the United States) involved in hosting the tournament, managing logistical issues was always going to be a difficult task for the ICC.

South Africa and India in the final

Meanwhile, South Africa reached their first ever Men’s World Cup final by defeating a depleted Afghanistan by 9 wickets at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad. The pitch came under scrutiny after consistent bounces and excessive seam movement throughout the match.

Afghanistan were bowled out for just 56 runs, with left-arm spinner Marco Jansen and left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi each taking 3 wickets. In reply, South Africa chased down the target in the ninth over with the loss of Quinton de Kock.

In the other semi-final, India defeated England by 68 runs to qualify for the final. It was a complete performance from the Men in Blue, who made it 171-7 on a tricky pitch after being put into bat.

Thereafter, the Indian spinners used the conditions to good effect as they bundled out England for just 103 runs. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked up 3 wickets each for India.