CWC 2023: England skipper Jos Buttler expresses concerns over Dharamsala outfield, wants fielders to be ‘careful’

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India]: England captain Jos Buttler warned his England players against diving in the outfield in their ICC World Cup clash against Bangladesh, calling the Dharamsala outfield “poor” and questioning the location’s suitability to hold a WC match.

The defending champions England will face Bangladesh here at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) on Tuesday.

Ahead of the match against Bangladesh, England practised at the picturesque HPCA stadium, and skipper Buttler admitted that he is worried about the outfield.

“Yeah a few I think, 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 yeah, 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 said in a press conference.

During Saturday’s match against Bangladesh at the site, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s leg was stuck in the surface, raising questions about the sandy composition.
Afghanistan’s coach Jonathan Trott said Mujeeb was “lucky” to escape a serious injury, and also warned England players about the state of the outfield.

“Yeah, injuries can happen at any time, can’t they, 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. You want to put your body on the line and be trying to save every single run or have confidence in the field,” said the England captain.

“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. So, as I said we’re hungry to get out there and play well, so we won’t be using it as an excuse, we just have to be a bit smart, I think,” Buttler added.

The defending champions will look to make a comeback in the match against Bangladesh after being thrashed by New Zealand in their World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

England Squad: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, David Willey and Reece Topley.

Bangladesh Squad: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.