ODI World Cup 2023: Jos Buttler Raises Concerns Over 'Poor' Dharamsala Outfield Ahead Of Bangladesh Clash, Urges Players To Be Careful
Before the game, Buttler referred to the outfield as "poor" and questioned if the location was suitable to host a World Cup play. He had already advised his colleagues to use caution when fielding in the match against Bangladesh.
On Tuesday, October 10, the ODI World Cup 2023 will play its second match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala between Bangladesh and the reigning champions, England.
England captain Jos Buttler voiced his worries about the outfield at the location, which has been a topic of discussion recently, shortly before the match.
In one of the spots where the outfield in Dharamsala appears uneven and barren, Afghanistan's Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman nearly suffered a serious injury when he fell awkwardly during a dive during the match on October 7.
Before the game, Buttler referred to the outfield as "poor" and questioned if the location was suitable to host a World Cup play. He had already advised his colleagues to use caution when fielding in the match against Bangladesh.
Yes, a couple, I believe (concerns). I think it's awful," Buttler remarked. Every time you talk about diving cautiously or fielding cautiously, it goes against everything that your team stands for. To save a run, you know you want to dive between the houses. The outfield's current surface is plainly not suitable. However, we'll just learn to live with it rather than use it as an excuse. However, as a team or player, or during a World Cup tournament, it's definitely not where you want to be if you feel like you're having to hold yourself back."
The outfield was deemed "average" by the match officials for Bangladesh's six-wicket victory over Afghanistan on Saturday, despite all the discussion.
Buttler emphasised the situations in which the players would need to exercise "careful"ness when risking their lives, and he wished for neither team to suffer any unlucky injuries.
"Sure, injuries can occur on any surface at any time, but I believe this is one where you'll need to exercise caution—something you don't want to be doing while representing your nation. You want to have trust in the field or put your body in danger while attempting to save every single run.
"So, while it's not as nice as it might or could be, neither team will benefit from it, and the wicket looks amazing. We're eager to play well, so like I mentioned, we won't use it as an excuse. I believe we simply need to be a little more astute," he continued.
"I believe that in the field, it's natural to want to be instinctive. You should dive for a ball if you see one. Thus, to be honest, I believe it to be unique. And I'm aware that it will be the same for both teams, but I don't think you should have to feel that way if you're having to kind of hold yourself back. So yeah, fingers crossed that nobody gets hurt unintentionally on any side.