- ICC was forced to defend the outfield at Dharamshala during the World Cup
- England star Jos Buttler disagrees with ICC’s ‘average’ surface assessment
- Buttler and Co must beat Bangladesh after being beaten by New Zealand
Jos Buttler described the sandy pitch at Dharamshala as “poor” on the eve of his team’s crucial World Cup match against Bangladesh, and questioned whether it would affect the “integrity” of a match that England must win after their defeat against New Zealand.
ICC officials have rated the outfield as ‘average’ after Saturday’s match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan – a verdict Buttler and his team clearly do not agree with.
Asked if he had any concerns about a surface that was treated with sand after flooding and fungal infestation, Buttler said: “Yes, a few. I think it’s poor. Any time you talk about careful diving, it goes against everything you want to be about as a team.
“You want to dive through a row of houses to avoid a race. But we won’t use that as an excuse. We will adapt to it.
“But, certainly, if you feel like you have to hold back, that’s not a place you want to be as a team or as a player in a World Cup match.”
Jos Buttler has questioned whether the Dharamshala outfield could affect the outcome of England’s crucial match against Bangladesh on Tuesday.
The ICC rated the outfield as ‘average’ after Saturday’s match between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
After making his comments at the ICC’s official pre-match press conference, Buttler was questioned further by the BBC, who asked if he was comfortable with the rest of the match .
He replied: “The powers that be are comfortable, so… the only thing I would question is if you tell players not to dive and all that, does that really call into question the integrity of the game, because of what you want to be able to? TO DO? Worst case scenario, something bad happens, but it doesn’t happen to both teams.
English cricket still grimaces at the memory of fast bowler Simon Jones’ career-ending knee injury on a sandy surface at Brisbane’s Gabba at the start of the 2002-03 Ashes, while Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman had lucky to escape without serious injury when he was shaken. his knee in the outfield here Saturday.
This prompted Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott, the former England batsman, to send a message to his contacts in the England dressing room, warning them what to expect.
Despite this, the ICC – headed by match referee Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler – declared the outfield ‘average’. Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwean who refereed the Afghanistan-Bangladesh match, was reportedly less impressed by the conditions.
Buttler added: “Injuries can happen at any time and on any surface. But I think it’s definitely a time where you’re going to have to be a little bit cautious, which is not what you want to do when you’re playing for your country.
“It’s not as good as it could be or should be. We won’t use it as an excuse, you’ll just have to be a little smart.
The Dharamshala outfield came under scrutiny after Mujeeb ur Rahman jammed his knee in the box during Afghanistan’s match against Bangladesh.
England must bounce back against Bangladesh after a defeat to New Zealand in the World Cup opener.
Ben Stokes would have missed the match even before the outfield distraction, but he batted against the spinners in the nets this morning and looked slightly freer than on Sunday as he continues to recover from a neck injury. hip.
England hope he will be fit in time for Sunday’s match against Afghanistan in Delhi.
But first, they need to beat Bangladesh and should add one or two very fast bowlers to the team that lost to New Zealand. Reece Topley and Gus Atkinson wait in the wings, while Mark Wood could be awarded the match.
“We know we didn’t play as well as we could in the last match and we desperately want to put that right, both individually and as a team,” Buttler said. “There’s a lot of hunger in the group and we’re excited to get back on the field.”
Whether the field responds to this enthusiasm is another matter.