Jos Buttler has termed the outfield at Dharamsala “poor” despite the stadium escaping any sanction and getting an ‘Average’ rating by the ICC following concerns over the sandy conditions during the first 2023 World Cup clash held at the ground.
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During the game between Afghanistan and Bangladesh on Sunday, Mujeeb ur Rahman escaped serious injury after his knee got stuck in the sandy outfield while attempting to dive and save a boundary. A cloud of sand and gravel was visible upon contact with the outfield, with Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz later describing the outfield as “heavy.”
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott asked for an assessment of the conditions, but Dharamsala escaped without any sanctions with the ICC and the Match Referee Javagal Srinath giving the outfield an ‘Average’ rating.
Buttler, however, is not impressed ahead of their game with Bangladesh on October 10, saying that his team might have to avoid being too adventurous in the field.
“It [the outfield] is poor in my own opinion,” he said. “I think any time you’re sort of talking about being careful diving or sort of being careful when you’re fielding, it sort of goes against everything you want to be as a team. You know you want to dive through our houses to save a run. So that’s obviously not ideal, the way the surface is, the outfield. But we won’t use it as an excuse, we’ll adapt to it. But yeah, certainly if you feel like you’re having to hold yourself back, it’s not a place you want to be as a team or player, or in a World Cup match.”
He added that while injuries can happen at any time, being told to be extra careful on a particular venue could prevent teams from giving it their all. “ I think it’s definitely one where you’re going to have to be a little bit careful, which isn’t what you want to be doing playing for your country,” he said.
“You want to put your body on the line and be trying to save every single run or have confidence in the field. So, it’s not as good as it could be or should be, but it’s going to be the same for both teams, and the wicket looks fantastic. We just have to be a bit smart, I think.”
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