ICC World Cup 2023: England Captain Jos Buttler Expresses Concerns Over Dharamsala Outfield After ICC Give Average Rating

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England captain Jos Buttler has expressed concerns over the outfield conditions of the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala a day after ICC gave an "average" rating, allowing the venue to host World Cup matches.

In the Bangladesh vs Afgahnistan match, Mujeeb Ur Rahman escaped serious injury. After the match, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott had said the ICC should assess whether the stadium was fit to host any more games in the tournament.

However, the ICC felt the matches could be played with the match referee Javagal Srinath and ICC independent pitch consultant giving it an 'Average' rating that prevents the ground from any sanctions.

"The ICC independent pitch consultant has taken a look at the outfield today and is comfortable with the conditions as is Javagal Srinath, the Match Referee for the next game," an ICC spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Now, ahead of the next game at the venue, where England face Bangladesh, Buttler warned his teammates against diving in the outfield, calling the Dharamsala outfield "poor" and questioning the location's suitability to hold a World Cup match.

"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," Buttler said in the press conference.

While Buttler said the players have to be careful when they are attempting to dive in the outfield, the England captain added that his team won't use that as an excuse and will adapt to the conditions.

"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," Buttler added.

"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."

Earlier, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb's left knee jammed into the sandy outfield when he attempted to save a boundary, and almost injured himself, leading to safety concerns over the standard 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," said the England captain.

"You want to put your body on the line and be trying to save every single run or have confidence in the field. 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.

Bangladesh spin bowling coach Rangana Herath, however, said they were happy with the outfield on which they beat Afghanistan on Saturday (October 7) and would not instruct their players to avoid diving or sliding on the oufield.

"No, we are not going to restrict anything because if you ask someone to restrict something, in that case they don't give their 100%," the former Sri Lanka spinner said. "We are asking them to give their best in the outfield as well."

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala will host three more matches after the England vs Bangladesh match on Tuesday (October 10).