Angry fans protest as ICC officials inspect Eden Gardens

KOLKATA, (Reuters) – Angry fans waved banners and  shouted slogans on Monday as an International Cricket Council  (ICC) inspection team assessed whether Eden Gardens could host  three World Cup games after losing a marquee match to Bangalore. Eden Gardens, one of India’s best-known grounds, was  stripped of the India v England game on Feb. 27 after an ICC  delegation said the venue was under-prepared due to a delay in  construction work.

A three-member inspection team returned yesterday to assess  if enough progress had been made to save three other matches —  none featuring India — and was greeted by slogan-chanting fans  holding up “Go Back ICC Officials” placards and waving black  flags. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), who have  headquarters at Eden Gardens, were hopeful of hosting their  other three scheduled matches there in March.

“We are confident,” CAB joint secretary Biswarup Dey told  the CNN-IBN channel. “We took them (ICC team) to the players’