“You are going to have to be smart and careful,” says England Captain Jos Buttler as his side prepares to play their second ICC Cricket World Cup match against Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Concerns surrounding the pitch conditions were raised after Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman escaped serious injury after his knee dug into the ground when sliding; England are facing their next test at the same venue.
The concerns are over the patchy and sand-based outfield that has been in such poor keep that England have barely been able to train on the surface in the lead-up to the match. Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the game on Tuesday, Buttler said:
“You are going to have to be a little bit smart as fielders and a little bit careful, which isn’t something you want to be when you are playing for your country,
“You want to dive around and save every single run.”
The surface has been inspected by officials at the tournament, who have expressed there are no concerns over its condition.
This is the same venue that seven months ago had a Test match between Australia and India moved due to the condition of the outfield.
The same things are being asked this time around as Buttler raised questions surrounding the integrity of the game if players are expected to refrain from putting in their all on the field of play.
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 really, because that is what you want to be able to do.
“Worst-case scenario is something bad happens, but fingers crossed that doesn’t happen for both teams.”
In what is an important game for the defending champions after a heavy defeat by New Zealand in their first match, England are confident and hungry heading into Tuesday to get a positive result.
