Eden plays the waiting game

Feb 08, 2011 |

Feb. 7: “Go back ICC” was the manner in which the parent body’s three-member team was ‘greeted’ when it arrived here on Monday to examine whether Eden Gardens is fit to host its remaining quota of World Cup matches after having lost the India-England marquee game.

The banners and demonstrations could hardly be of any value, but the city’s sports lovers have made their feelings clear.

To them, it’s “foul play” from the International Cricket Council that robbed Eden of an encounter everyone had been craving for. “It’s nothing but politics and a conspiracy from the ICC to steal the India-England tie. Now what are they here for having killed everyone’s dreams?” charged a member of the Maidan Sports Welfare Association, a group that demonstrated outside Eden’s main gate till ICC stadium consultant Eugene Van Vuuren, events manager Chris Tetley and GM, commercial Campbell Jamieson left the venue after a scheduled inspection.

“The ICC should know that Kolkatans don’t keep their eyes and ears shut. There had to be a protest against the treatment meted out to a venue like Eden. Now since they would be here today for a farce in the name of inspection, we got the best opportunity to show what we actually think of these unscrupulous elements,” said another member of the group.

As for the Cricket Association of Bengal officials, they once again claimed the ICC team left satisfied and are hopeful of a positive result, which is likely to be announced on Tuesday.

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