South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (ANI Photo)

Quinton de Kock has criticised the International Cricket Council after reports suggested that England cricket team would return home before both South Africa national cricket team and the West Indies cricket team following their exits from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Travel plans for several teams have been affected due to international airspace restrictions linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. As a result, a number of sides have remained in India while waiting for charter flights arranged by the ICC. The West Indies were knocked out of the tournament on March 1 after a defeat to the India national cricket team in the Super 8 stage, while South Africa’s campaign ended with a semi final loss to the New Zealand national cricket team. Since then, both teams have remained in India awaiting travel arrangements. The Caribbean side has been in the country for about a week following their elimination, while the Proteas have been waiting for three days. In contrast, England were beaten by India in the second semi final on Thursday but are set to leave for home on Saturday, just two days after their exit. The situation prompted de Kock to question the apparent imbalance, suggesting that some teams might have greater influence within international cricket.

Quinton de kock’s insta story

“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,” wrote Quinton de Kock on Instagram Stories. Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan also raised similar concerns about the travel situation. He questioned why England were able to leave earlier despite other teams being stuck in India for longer.

Michael Vaughan post

“So England got knocked out on Thurs, get a charter home today .. West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata .. SA in the same position .. That’s where the power is all wrong .. All teams in this situation should be treated the same .. just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count .. #JustSaying,” he wrote on X. According to ESPNCricinfo, England are expected to depart on Saturday, while both South Africa and the West Indies are likely to leave on Sunday once charter flights organised by the ICC become available. England’s flight is scheduled to head directly to London. Meanwhile, South Africa and West Indies are set to travel first to Johannesburg, after which the Caribbean side will continue their journey to Antigua. However, neither team has officially confirmed the exact timing of their departures. Frustration within the West Indies camp has been visible. Head coach Daren Sammy posted “Day 6” on X on Friday, highlighting how long the team had been stranded in Kolkata since their match against India at the Eden Gardens. Earlier in the tournament, the Zimbabwe national cricket team also faced travel delays after playing their final match against South Africa on March 1 in New Delhi, before eventually departing India on March 4.

India’s Sanju Samson with head coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has praised India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing Sanju Samson, whose red-hot form with the bat has become one of the biggest talking points of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.Samson was drafted back into the Indian playing XI after the team lost to South Africa, in what was effectively a knockout clash against the West Indies cricket team. The wicketkeeper-batter seized the opportunity in style, smashing a superb 97 during a tense chase to guide India to victory. He carried that momentum into the semi-final, producing a blistering 89 off just 42 balls as India defeated the England cricket team to book a place in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.

Speaking on the ‘Game On Hai’ show on PTV Sports, Akhtar explained that Samson’s return to the side was not a straightforward call. According to the former pacer, Gambhir had to strongly advocate for the batter’s inclusion within the team management setup.“Samson has been in the Indian cricket circuit since 2014. Back in the days when I was working in India, around 2015, there was a lot of hype surrounding him. He had to wait for a long time to get regular chances as India had wicketkeepers like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and others. Even now, Gambhir has fought with everyone to get him into the team. Basically, his selection has been done forcefully and after a lot scrutiny. He didn’t feature in the tournament initially,” said Akhtar in a video shared by Tapmad.Samson’s numbers in the tournament underline his remarkable run of form. In four matches so far, he has accumulated 232 runs at an impressive average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73, including two half-centuries. His highest score remains the unbeaten 97 against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final in Kolkata.The 31-year-old also etched his name alongside Virat Kohli after his semi-final heroics. Samson’s 89 against England equalled Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Kohli had produced an identical 89 not out off 47 balls against the West Indies during the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2016 at the same venue.Samson has also dominated the six-hitting charts in this edition of the tournament. With 16 maximums to his name, he has already surpassed the previous Indian record of 15 sixes in a single T20 World Cup campaign, which was set by Rohit Sharma in the 2024 edition.

Varun Chakravarthy of India celebrates with teammates after dismissing Jos Buttler of England during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: For the first half of the T20 World Cup, Varun Chakravarthy looked like India’s biggest weapon with the ball. He was hitting the right notes, batters were struggling to read him and the wickets followed. But as the tournament has progressed, the mystery spinner’s control has slipped. With his lengths going astray and runs flowing freely, his dip in form is an alarming sign for India ahead of the final against New Zealand, to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.That concern grew after what happened in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. The red soil pitch should ideally have suited the spinner, instead he went for plenty. His bowling figures read 4-0-64-1. Varun struggled to find the right length and it appeared that his confidence had also taken a beating, which is an area of concern for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir.

With 13 wickets to his name, Varun is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the first four matches, he picked up nine wickets with an impressive economy rate of 5.17. In the last four games, he has leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.63 while picking up just four wickets.Overall, Varun has been hard to go after when he has pitched the ball in the good length area while trying to attack the stumps. In 118 balls where he has hit that good length, he has conceded only 128 runs at an economy rate of 6.50 and also picked up 10 wickets. Whenever he has gone full or bowled short, basically when he has erred in hitting that 5 to 6 metre length, he has bowled bled runs. In the 27 balls where he has attempted to bowl full, he has conceded 66 runs at an economy rate of 14.66. The short of good length area has cost him 50 runs off 22 balls at 13.63.

Varun Chakaravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Abrar Ahmed of Pakistan during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium on February 15, 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The good phase

Now let us divide Varun’s numbers into two phases, pre-South Africa and post.Before India’s first Super Eight match against South Africa, Varun was a batter’s nightmare. He bowled 51 balls in that good length area and conceded only 37 runs and picked up seven wickets. Even the fuller and shorter lengths did not cost him much, and his economy rates read 7 and 5.25, respectively.After the Namibia match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he picked up 3 for 7 in two overs, Varun had spoken about his new variations and the ones he was working on.“I have worked on my overspin rather than sidespin and more speed and zip off the wicket,” he told reporters in the ICC mixed zone.“I have been working on a few things, but that has been my process all along. I have always had some deliveries coming up, so I will always have something coming up. But it is up to me. It is actually about whether I am courageous enough to try it in the next match, but it depends.

Varun Chakravarthy of India bowls during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 12, 2026 in Delhi, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

“There are a few balls that just clicked for me in the matches and there have been a few variations which I have been trying for the last six years that did not come out earlier. So it just depends on the complexity of the delivery,” he added.It is also worth noting that in the group stage India had played three Associate teams – USA, Namibia and the Netherlands. The match against Pakistan, in Colombo, was played on a two paced surface.

The flat phase

In the first four games, Varun’s bowling figures were 1/24 against USA, 3/7 against Namibia, 2/17 against Pakistan and 3/14 against Netherlands. In the next four matches, his figures read 1/47 against South Africa, 1/35 against Zimbabwe, 1/40 against West Indies and, most recently, 1/64 against England.In the 96 balls Varun bowled in the three Super Eight matches and the semi-final, he conceded 186 runs and picked up four wickets. Out of those four wickets, three came when he tried to hit the stumps from a good length. He conceded 91 runs off 67 balls at an economy rate of 8.14. Meanwhile, in the 29 deliveries where he tried something different by bowling fuller or shorter, he was sent for plenty. In 15 full deliveries, Varun conceded 52 runs, and in 14 shorter length balls he leaked 43 runs.

Varun Chakravarthy of India unsuccessfully appeals for the LBW of Rovman Powell of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 01, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Bethell storm hits Varun

England came prepared against Chakravarthy and he was not allowed to settle into any rhythm by centurion Jacob Bethell, who smashed him for three sixes in his opening spell. Chakravarthy was guilty of bowling either too short or too full. Bethell smashed Chakravarthy for 42 runs off just 13 balls on his way to a special hundred, albeit it couldn’t steer them into the final.On the eve of the contest at the Wankhede Stadium, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik, replying to a TimesofIndia.com query during a JioStar media day, had said that Varun had shortened his length to extract more bounce. Karthik had expected Varun to do well at the Wankhede.“First up, statistics tell you that Varun has shortened his length. When somebody shortens their length, you need to understand why they could have done it. It could also mean that he has bowled a couple of fuller balls which have gone for boundaries. In trying to readjust his length and pull it back, he has probably gone shorter.

Jacob Bethell of England bats during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

“So with Varun, the fact that he has been playing on pitches that probably did not have as much bounce means that at times he has gone slightly shorter to try and get the ball to bounce up. Or probably he has bowled so much on the stumps and wants to attack them a lot more,” said Karthik.“He has tried to pull the length back a bit because people tend to play what is called a step hit from the crease. So maybe he has gone slightly shorter to avoid getting step hit. But yes, can he bowl a little fuller and challenge the batter? I feel he is very capable of doing it. Has he gone slightly shorter? Statistics do tell you that he has pulled his length back a bit,” he added.

Still a trump card?

After the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Gambhir took charge, Varun found a new lease of life. Under Surya and Gambhir, he emerged as India’s trump card and has picked up 70 wickets in 38 matches so far. He was also instrumental in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph, where he picked up nine wickets in three games.Meanwhile, India vice-captain Axar Patel has defended the under fire world number one bowler.“We have talked about it. We have played a lot of knockout games at this moment, so it is very important to have the right mindset. Yes, there is skill and everything, but what we tell him is that when you go for runs, do not change your plan even if the batter is targeting you,” Axar said in the mixed zone.

Varun Chakravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Shai Hope of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 01, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

“You have a plan to put the ball on the stumps first, and then suddenly you change the line. Yes, there could be mistakes in pressure situations. We keep telling him that he is the X factor and that he should trust himself. When it comes to bowling, it is all about confidence.“If you look at it, even after being hit for a few sixes, he got the wicket of Jos Buttler. He is the number one T20 bowler and he knows what he is doing. It is a matter of mindset. We have one more match and maybe he will deliver a match winning performance in the final,” added Axar.

Varun’s dip in form may have raised questions, but he is no stranger to bouncing back from difficult times. The 34-year-old has built his career on resilience and has often found ways to respond when the pressure is at its peak. The final now offers him that opportunity.Against a formidable New Zealand side, India will look to their mystery spinner not just for wickets but also for control in the middle overs. If Chakravarthy can rediscover his rhythm and trust his plans, Sunday night could yet become the stage for another compelling comeback story.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has explained the reason behind his celebration after the dismissal of Jacob Bethell during the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.Pandya’s direct throw at the striker’s end in the final over of England’s chase ended Bethell’s innings of 102. After the dismissal, the 32-year-old reacted with an animated celebration and tried to lift the team’s energy. Pandya later said the reaction came because his son Agastya and girlfriend Mahieka Sharma were watching the match from the stands, and he wanted them to experience his emotions at that moment.

“Clutch is Hardik Pandya,” the all-rounder said in a video released by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on X. “See, there are two ways in life. I could have got my heart rushing and would have not been able to execute. So, I went in my zen mode. Quite amazing that instead of getting my heartbeat rushed, I was still. And I’m really proud of that,” Pandya said.“One batter I had to get out from the field was Bethell, the way he was batting. I knew I had to keep calm and throw it where it was supposed to be. I would have liked it a little closer to the stumps, but nevertheless, we got the job done,” Hardik said in a video released by BCCI on X.“The reaction was also because my son came, and I wanted my son and Mahieka to enjoy this moment and feel how emotional I was,” he added.

Before the run-out, Pandya had also made an impact with the ball. In the 19th over, he conceded nine runs and took the wicket of Sam Curran, who was trying to accelerate the scoring but was caught at mid-wicket.Pandya said he focused on staying calm before bowling the over.“There are two ways in life. I could have got my heart racing and not been able to execute, so I went into my Zen mode. It’s quite amazing that instead of my heartbeat rushing, I stayed still. I’m really proud of that,” Hardik said.For his performance, Pandya was named the impact player of the match in the dressing room after the game.India will next face New Zealand in the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

File photo of New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner during the T20 World Cup final. (ANI)

TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: Mitchell Santner was slightly overwhelmed when he settled into his chair to address the media ahead of the T20 World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad. The room was packed and before the floor opened for questions, hands were frantically raised to shoot queries at the New Zealand captain. The over fifteen minutes of questions and answers mostly manuevered around the expected lines but before he got up, the all-rounder spoke about the pressure India will carry in this game. The pressure of hosting an event. Of defending a title. Of carrying the hopes of a nation is no small matter. When you combine the three, things reach next level. Meanwhile, opponents view this feeling for the hosts as an advantage and an opportunity for themselves.

Thousands will pass through the turnstiles and fill this gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium for the title clash. It’s no surprise that only a handful would cheer for the BlackCaps as another Sea of Blue is expected. The jersey sellers have already blocked the premium slots around Gate No.1 and Gate No.2, and they clearly favour blue, as it was their preferred hue, showing unfamiliarity with the opposite camp’s colours. For any opposing captain, feeling out of place at the Narendra Modi Stadium isn’t strange and Santner could well take cues from how Pat Cummins & Co. silenced nearly 1,00,000 people on November 19, 2023. Are they, like Cummins, looking to silence the crowd?“Yeah I guess that’s the goal isn’t it, to silence the crowd but I think that there is a lot of variables in T20 cricket and it is fickle at times. We’ve seen throughout the whole World Cup that a lot of teams are on similar pages and it comes down to some little moments in every game that changes the outcome. So I think England were very close to chasing that the other night, we’ve seen South Africa playing very good cricket all the way through and then I guess had a little hiccup against us and you’re out.

“So I think for us it’s taking confidence in that that we can If we go about our business the same way we can upset another big team and I think there’s obviously a lot of pressure on India to win this World Cup at home. I mean it would be, I guess if we don’t win it’d be pretty cool to win a home World Cup so I think that comes with a lot of added pressure as well. So if we can go out there and try to put, I guess, the added pressure on them and see what happens,” said Santner during the press conference on eve of the match.New Zealand are no stranger to ICC knockouts. They have reached three finals — the 2015 ODI World Cup, the 2019 ODI World Cup, and the 2021 T20 World Cup – but their last limited overs title came back in 2000 when they beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy in 2000. The most recent ICC title came when they beat the same opposition in the 2021 World Test Championship final.

New Zealand’s captain Mitchel Santner celebrates the wicket of South Africa’s Dewald Brevis with teammates during the first T20 World Cup cricket semifinal. (AP)

The ‘good boys’ have hardly finished first in cricket but have been consistent enough to challenge the best in the business in multi-nation tournaments. The first semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata showed why they can’t be taken lightly as they walloped the then-unbeaten South Africa by nine wickets with 7.1 overs to spare.“I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy but yeah I think – you look at this group and the groups that have been in the past we are pretty consistent in these tournaments because we try not get overruled by the situation or opponents, we just go out there and do our thing as a unit. It’s been no different this time. And again, it’s going to be obviously a challenge. “Everyone knows we’re probably not the favorites, But we don’t mind. We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” said Santner.They haven’t had a perfect campaign in the 2026 T20 World Cup but after surviving the Colombo leg and acing the Kolkata semi-final, they run into another team which is yet to play a perfect game. India dropped their contest at this venue during the Super Eight clash vs South Africa, and the Aiden Markram-led unit showed how beatable the hosts are in their own backyard. Even in the 499-run feast at the Wankhede on Thursday, the difference was just seven runs, further highlighting how the Men in Blue can be tested and pushed.

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Captains generally prefer to downplay the final hype but Santner is embracing it. He is aware that it’s not just another game but they will approach it with the mindset they have in the games preceding the title clash.“It’s easy to say it’s just another game but everyone knows it’s probably not. But I think the way you go about it has to be the same whether it’s your preparation, what that looks like on the day leading up to the game. And I think, it always comes down to a couple of moments, especially in T20 cricket, where if you can squeeze the opposition or take the advantage through there. I think we saw it the other night. “I don’t know, it always comes down to fielding at some stage, but if you can be very consistent in the way you approach the game with bearing a couple of moments where you could potentially be a little bit more ruthless or what that looks like, but I think – I don’t think you have to reinvent the wheel. It’s just you’re making a final, you’re coming up against another team who’s also playing some pretty good cricket So it’s never that easy,” said Santner.The good boys of cricket are ready to take the big boys on in their own backyard. The crowd, noise and burden of expectations will be a challenge, and Kiwis are ready to embrace it.