Jos Buttler was concerned by the “poor” outfield at the Dharamshala cricket stadium ahead of England’s second Cricket World Cup match against Bangladesh on Tuesday and insisted it was different to when he played there during the Indian Premier League.
England will be looking to bounce back from their dismal hammering at the hands of New Zealand in the tournament’s opening match in Ahmedabad, where the defending champions were beaten by nine wickets.
The HPCA Stadium has one of the most beautiful settings, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, and is visually stunning, but it was the scene of a potentially nasty injury earlier in the tournament. Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman dived for a ball on Saturday against Bangladesh and his knee got stuck in the turf, spraying soil into the air.
Former England batter and current Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said after the game the side were “lucky” the injury sustained was not serious and that players were “unsure” of their footing on the sandy surface.
In the days since it does not seem to have improved, and having trained on it ahead of the game, Buttler said: “It’s poor in my own opinion. 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 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.”
Buttler explained Ben Stokes was unlikely to be fit for the match, but even if he was match-fit, England would likely be more wary of risking him, and his problematic left knee on a pitch considered less than ideal.
While it was ranked as average by the ICC (there are three grades lower: below average, poor and unfit), England will remain cautious.
The outfield at Dharamshala is a cause for concern for England— (Getty Images)
“Injuries can happen at any time, on any surface, but 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. 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,” Buttler added.
However, the England captain believes that the outfield in place for the World Cup was different to when his Indian Premier League side, the Rajasthan Royals played at the same ground.
