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.
During the Afghanistan-Bangladesh match on Sunday, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman escaped serious injury after his knee got caught in the sandy outfield while diving to defend the boundary line. A cloud of sand and gravel was visible upon touching the outfield, and Mehdi Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh later described the outfield as “heavy”.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott asked for a condition assessment, but Dharamsala escaped with no sanction as the ICC and match referee Javagal Srinath gave the outfield an average rating.
However, Buttler is not too impressed ahead of the match against Bangladesh on October 10 and seems to feel that his team should not venture too far on the field.
“In my opinion, it (the outfield) is bad,” he said. “Whenever you talk about jumping cautiously or fielding cautiously, I think that goes against what you want as a team. You want to dive in the house so you don’t run away. So obviously the surface, the outfield conditions are not ideal, but we will not use that as an excuse and we will adapt to it. But yeah, if you feel like you have to put up with it, that’s not where you want to be as a team, as a player or in a World Cup match. ”
He added that injuries can happen at any time, but the special precautions required at certain venues can prevent teams from performing at their best. “I think it’s definitely a situation where you have to be a little careful, but that’s not what you want to do when you play for your country,” he said.
“You want to put your body on the line and try to prevent every goal conceded, or you want to have confidence on the field.” I mean, it’s not as good as it could be or should be, but it’s Same for both teams he and the wicket look great. I think we have to be a little smarter. ”
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