ENG vs BAN: Jos Buttler Slams 'Poor' Dharamsala Outfield; Questions World Cup Integrity

Ahead of England‘s crucial match against Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup, captain Jos Buttler has slammed the poor outfield of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala.

Defending champions England will be desperate to win the game after starting their campaign with a humiliating 9-wicket defeat against New Zealand last week. But ahead of the important game, the much-talked-about outfield of the HPCA Stadium has been garnering all the attention.

Speaking on the eve of the game, Jos Buttler not only expressed his disappointment over the surface but also questioned whether it would affect the integrity of the game. Bangladesh and Afghanistan locked horns at the venue last week and the ICC officials rated the outfield ‘average. Even before the start of the World Cup, there were concerns over the outfield.

Earlier this year, the Test match between India and Australia had to be shifted from Dharamsala to Indore after the re-laid outfield remained bald till a fortnight before the match. Later, it hosted a couple of IPL games before flooding and subsequent fungal infections affected the field.

Jos Buttler on ‘poor’ Dharamsala outfield:

The surface at the HPCA stadium was treated with sand and it might cause a problem or two for the players. During the match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was lucky to avoid any serious injury after he got his left knee heavily stuck in the outfield when he tried to stop a boundary.

And Jos Buttler has not shied away from expressing his concerns, saying: “I think it’s poor. Any time you’re talking about being careful diving, it goes against everything you want to be as a team.

“You want to dive through a row of houses to save a run. 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, in a World Cup match,” he added.

Jos Buttler was also asked by the BBC whether he was comfortable with the game being played in Dharamsala. In reply, the England skipper said: “The powers that be are comfortable, so… 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, really, because of what you want to be able to do? The worst-case scenario is something bad happens, but fingers that doesn’t happen for both teams.”

“Injuries can happen at any time and 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 when you’re playing for your country. It’s not as good as it could be or should be. We won’t be using it as an excuse, we’ll just have to be a bit smart,” he added.