Cricket’s governing body on Wednesday rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after the West Indies and South Africa squads were stranded in India for more than a week following the T20 World Cup.

Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights because of the war in the Middle East, throwing international travel into chaos.

Cricket West Indies said on Tuesday its squad had waited nine days for a charter flight that was “repeatedly delayed”, calling the uncertainty “increasingly distressing”.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the situation, noting on social media that England departed 36 hours after their semi-final exit last week while the West Indies and South Africa remained in Kolkata more than a week after being knocked out of the tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it “rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare”.

“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns are anxious to return home,” it said in a statement.

“That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of genuine frustration, and the International Cricket Council shares that frustration.”

It also said there was no comparison between arrangements for South Africa and the West Indies and those made for England, “which arose from separate circumstances, routing options and different travel conditions”.

All members of the South Africa contingent are expected to leave within 36 hours, the ICC said.

South Africa’s World Cup ended on March 4.

Nine West Indies players and staff were already travelling to the Caribbean, with the remaining 16 booked on flights departing India within 24 hours, the ICC said.

West Indies exited the competition on March 1.

Team USA suffered a massive upset at the hands of Italy on Tuesday night at the World Baseball Classic, putting their hopes of moving to the quarterfinal round in jeopardy.

Italy’s Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone homered as Italy defeated the U.S., 8-6, in the Americans’ final game in pool play.

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Italian starter Michael Lorenzen allowed two hits in 4.2 scoreless innings. The U.S. got homers from Pete Crow-Armstrong twice and Gunnar Henderson, but their rally fell short.

Aaron Judge had a chance to extend the game for the U.S. in the ninth inning, but struck out.

“It’s the toughest thing,” he said. “You always like having your destiny in your own hands and we had it right in front of us and Italy came out swinging.”

The Americans were down 8-1 in the seventh inning before Crow-Armstrong’s home run.

ITALY’S DUGOUT ESPRESSO MACHINE TRADITION FUELS HOT START IN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

Italy catcher Kyle Teel (3) celebrates as he run the bases after a home run against the United States in the World Baseball Classic game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Houston.  (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The U.S. appeared to be dealt a confusing situation, possibly thinking they had already clinched a spot in the next round. Manager Mark DeRosa seemed to think that when he said in a TV appearance they the team wanted to win the game “even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals …”

DeRosa said he “misspoke” and Judge added that he didn’t think players had already thought their spot was secured.

“It’s out of our control now,” he said. “We just need a little luck and we’ll see what happens.”

Now, the U.S. will need to hope for an Italy win over Mexico. If Mexico wins, then all three teams will move to 3-1 and 1-1 against each other and send it to a tiebreaker.

United States center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) celebrates after hitting a home run against Italy in the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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The tiebreaker is the number of runs allowed in games between the tied teams. The U.S. could advance even if Mexico wins if it scores at least five runs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo made NBA history on Tuesday night.

Adebayo scored 83 points, all while setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It is the second-highest scoring game for a player ever, only to Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game.

“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game.

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Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.

He finished 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

After the game, he was seen in tears while he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game.

“Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore,” Adebayo’s girlfriend, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, wrote on social media, “but at least it gives me something to go after.”

MAGIC’S ANTHONY BLACK MAKES INCREDIBLE DUNK OVER FOUR DEFENDERS IN HISTORIC NBA GAME

The NBA’s previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters: one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes, Kobe Bryant, who had exactly that many through three quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.

He wound up passing Bryant for single-game scoring as well. Bryant’s career-best was 81 — a game that was the second-best on the NBA scoring list for two decades.

Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter against the Wizards, breaking the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tying the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.

He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — of 41, set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.

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Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.

Adebayo’s 43-point first half was the NBA’s second-best in at least the last 30 seasons — going back to the start of the digital play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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