Cricket World Cup rocked by fresh drama as 'poor' conditions called into question

Jos Buttler has taken aim at the Dharamshala ground labelling the sandy outfield as "poor" as England gear up to take on Bangladesh in a crucial Cricket World Cup match. England's captain slammed the conditions and that he was crossing his fingers that "no one picks up an unfortunate injury".

The outfield came under fire following the match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan where Afghan spinner Muheeb Ur Rahman luckily escaped a serious injury after his knee dug into the sandy turf while trying to prevent a boundary. The ICC rated the outfield as "average" on Saturday and since then match referee Javagal Srinath and ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson cleared the ground for England's must-win encounter with Bangladesh.

'CAN'T DO THAT': Pat Cummins called out amid 'terrible' scenes at World Cup

STAR'S SAD MOMENT: Virat Kohli can't hold back his disappointment

England were thumped by New Zealand in Ahmedabad on the opening night and Buttler holds serious concerns about the ground's conditions especially given the importance of the upcoming match. After training at Dharamshala the English captain was asked if he held any worries about the state of the field to which he responded, "Yeah, a few. 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. 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 in a World Cup match."

In another interview with the BBC when asked if he was comfortable with the game going ahead, Buttler questioned what would happen if a player picked up a serious injury. "The powers that be are comfortable,' he said. "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," he said. "The matter of who would be liable if a serious accident does occur is not one that anyone wants to have to grapple with."

Bangladesh's spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath, however, said the team's management had not given the instruction to not dive in the field. "We are not going to restrict anything so that they give 100%," he said. "We will tell them to give their best." When pressed on the state of the outfield he said, "If it is good for playing international cricket, I am happy with it."

Dharamshala concerns are nothing new

Earlier this year a Test Match between Australia and India was moved out of Dharamsala at short notice due to worries about the ground. On that occasion, BCCI's inspection panel visited the ground and raised concerns over the state of the outfield. The match was then moved but since two IPL fixtures have been held there.

Buttler was involved in one of those games and noted that the outfield was "different" now compared to during that match. He said his seamers had also tested out the run-up areas during their training session on Monday to build confidence on the questionable field.

"It's just getting that level of trust," Buttler said. "When guys are tearing in and trying to bowl fast, you need that confidence in your run-up. It'll probably take guys a couple of balls to get used to it, but they're professionals and they'll adapt."

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.