England captain Jos Buttler came down hard on the condition of the outfield at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala which was rated average by the International Cricket Council after the World Cup 2023 match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Buttler meanwhile, called it a poor outfield and is not happy with the state of the ground ahead of England's second match in the tournament against Bangladesh on October 10.
But the wicketkeeping-skipper also made it clear that they won't be using the outfield condition as an excuse for their performance on the field on Tuesday.
Buttler's take on Dharamsala outfield
"I think it's poor, in my own opinion. I think any time you're talking about being careful diving, or maybe being careful when you're fielding, it goes against everything you want to be as a team.
"You want to dive through a row of houses to save a run. 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 as a player, or in a World Cup match," Buttler told reporters on Monday.
Mujeeb escaped serious injury in Dharamsala
Afghanistan coach and former England batter Jonathan Trott had also slammed the HPCA and tournament organisers after their match against Bangladesh last week in which Mujeeb Ur Rahman escaped a nasty injury while fielding near the boundary line.
Mujeeb's knee dug into the outfield as he attempted to slide and recover the ball while fielding.
Trott said he was lucky to have escaped unhurt but pictures of the massive crater created by Mujeeb's knee went viral on social media. ICC gave it an average rating after the match.
Hoping for the best
Buttler also pointed out that players will have to be careful while sliding or diving on the field in Dharamsala, and hopes that no one gets injured during the match.
"The powers that be are comfortable. The only thing I would question is, if you are telling players not to dive and stuff, does that question the integrity of the game?
"The worst-case scenario is something bad happens, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen for both teams," Buttler said.
