"We won't use it as an excuse" - Jos Buttler opens up on 'poor' Dharamshala outfield ahead of 2023 World Cup game against Bangladesh

England captain Jos Buttler wasn't amused with the outfield at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala ahead of their encounter at the venue against Bangladesh on Tuesday in the 2023 World Cup.

Former England cricketer and Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott spoke quite bluntly about the outfield as his player Mujeeb-ur-Rahman jammed his knee in the outfield and survived a major injury scare.

Speaking to the reporters ahead of the clash against Bangladesh, Jos Buttler explained how tough it is for the fielders to commit themselves if the outfield is a bit tricky. He said:

"Yeah a few I think [concerns]. It's poor in my opinion. Anytime 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. But we won't use it as an excuse and we'll just 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."

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Hope neither side picks up an unfortunate injury: Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler understands that the conditions are going to be the same for both teams and so he will be refraining from using it as an excuse. However, he believes the fielders need to have trust in the surface while putting their bodies on the line.

On this, he stated:

"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. I think naturally you want to be instinctive in the field. If you see a ball, you want to dive for it.

"So yeah, hopefully, fingers crossed, no one on either side picks up an unfortunate injury."

It will be interesting to see if England have Ben Stokes available for the clash against Bangladesh.

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