The ICC has given the outfield at Dharamsala an ‘Average’ rating, which allows the ground to escape any sanctions, following the Bangladesh-Afghanistan clash in the 2023 World Cup on October 7 (Sunday).
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Mujeeb ur Rahman narrowly escaped a serious injury after his left knee jammed into the sandy outfield when he attempted to save a boundary during the game. As he made contact with the ground, there was a puff of sand and gravel that almost covered the fielder, leading to safety concerns over the standard of the outfield.
After the game, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott voiced his worries, saying the ICC should assess whether the stadium was fit to host any more games in the event.
“I just think if you’ve got players unsure of whether they can dive, we see the product of cricket all around the world where players are taught and encouraged to improve their fielding,” said Trott. “And when you’ve got players worried about getting injured, I mean, we’re lucky Mujeeb he hasn’t got a serious knee injury towards the end.”
The ICC has now given their verdict on the outfield, with the Match Referee Javagal Srinath giving it an ‘Average’ rating that prevents the ground from any sanctions. A spokesperson said, “The ICC independent pitch consultant has taken a look at the outfield today and is comfortable with the conditions as is Javagal Srinath, the Match Referee for the next game.”
The ICC has created a rating system for the pitch and the outfield, where the Match Referee places the surface into one of six categories – ‘Very Good’, ‘Good’, ‘Average’, ‘Below Average’, ‘Poor’ and ‘Unfit’. If a pitch is given an Average rating or above, the stadium is not given any demerit points. Only if a venue gets a ‘Below Average’, ‘Poor’ or ‘Unfit’ rating, are demerit points given.
The last time an outfield was rated ‘Average’ or below in either a men’s or women’s international game, was in September 2022, during the first India-South Africa T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.
Since then, there have been instances of the pitch getting a rating of ‘Average’ or worse, the most recent being the strip used for the first ODI between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka. The outfield had been rated as ‘Very Good’ in that game.
Dharamsala will next host the England-Bangladesh clash on October 10.
