ICC Rates Dharamsala Outfield as Average: The ICC has assigned an average rating to the outfield at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) in Dharamsala for the ongoing World Cup match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It was scrutinized subsequent to Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman avoiding injury following a dive in which his knee became obstructed.
ICC Rates Dharamsala Outfield as Average after AFG vs BAN World Cup Match
His knee became immobilized as soon as he dove, causing a portion of the soil to also protrude. This resulted in numerous inquiries regarding the suitability of the venue’s outfield to accommodate the World Cup match. Nevertheless, the ICC has reportedly verified to Cricbuzz that it is content with the current conditions.
This happened in Dharamsala yesterday! 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
I hope Mujeeb Ur Rahman isn’t badly hurt. Crazy 🙏🏼 #CWC23 #WorldCup2023 #BANvAFG pic.twitter.com/BXcepg1zID— Salman Khan (@SalmanK53465481) October 8, 2023
Consequently, the October 10 match between England and Bangladesh is anticipated to proceed as scheduled, as Andy Atkinson, an independent pitch consultant for the board, is also content with the conditions. “The process for assessing the condition of the pitch and outfield lies with the match officials under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process and the outfield at Dharamsala was rated as average after the Afghanistan v Bangladesh match. Additionally, 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 added.
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Additionally, individuals from the ground personnel were observed performing maintenance on the region of the ground where the soil was disturbed following Mujeeb’s dive. Moreover, Sunil Chauhan, the venue’s chief curator, was closely observing the surface as well. In Dharamsala, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott also raised concerns regarding the outfield, stating that the players were hesitant to perform a dive following the Mujeeb incident.
“If you’ve got players unsure of whether they can dive. We see the product of cricket all around the world where players are taught and encouraged to improve their fielding. Then when you’ve got players worried about getting injured… we’re lucky Mujeeb hasn’t got a serious knee injury towards the end. Yes he probably shouldn’t have dived with his knee but I think it was Devon Conway earlier from New Zealand… It’s something for them [organisers] to look at. I’m definitely not putting any blame on that, but that’s something to keep an eye on for the future,” Trott said in the press conference after the match.
