England pacer Sam Curran did not hold back in criticizing the condition of the outfield at Dharamsala’s Himachal Pradesh Cricket Academy Stadium amid the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
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It is pertinent to mention that players and coaching staff of several teams had hit out at the management for the deplorable condition of the ground in interviews and social media.
England captain Jos Buttler, ahead of the fixture against the minnows Bangladesh, said the quality of the outfield was poor.
“It’s poor in my own opinion. Any time you’re talking about being careful diving or sort of being careful when you’re fielding, it goes against everything you want to be as a team,” the England captain said.
England pacer Sam Curran, in an interview, said the teams felt relieved of playing the Bangladesh fixture without sustaining injuries.
“It was pretty bad,” the pacer said. “We’re pretty happy to get through that game without any injuries – both teams, I think. That’s pretty important, and we don’t have to come back here.”
His teammate Reece Topley also shared his views on the outfield condition.
“The legs are a bit
heavier than normal on this outfield, for sure. Running in to bowl, you barely felt like you were making it to the crease. I actually had to shorten my run-up as I was getting no distance in each stride, to be honest,” he explained. “But it was a unique challenge at this ground, and we responded in the right way. Jos told us to get on with it, so we did,” Reece Topley added.
Veteran Bangladesh cricketer Taskin Ahmed also shared his displeasure about the conditions in Dharamsala.
“The outfield was soft. It was tough to run here. Everyone felt that we were a little off-balance, or slipping in the run-up. But the conditions weren’t in our control, so we can’t make it an excuse: we should have adjusted better,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that Dharamsala is to host another three matches in the tournament.
The Netherlands will play South Africa on October 17, followed by hosts India taking on the 2019 finalists New Zealand on October 22. The fifth and final match on the ground is scheduled to be played between five-time winners Australia and New Zealand on October 27.
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