"We are working overnight to rectify problem:" HPCA Secretary Mohit Sood on patchy Dharamsala outfield

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 9 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), Secretary Mohit Sood said that the outfield of Dharamshala stadium has some rough patches where fielding is difficult however they are overnight to rectify the problem so that the players would not face any issues.
Dharamshala will hold their second match of the 2023 ICC World Cup on Tuesday when defending champions England will face Bangladesh.
With the cold wave that the region experienced in October and November in mind, the Sood said HPCA chose Bermuda grass for the outfield. The rain, on the other hand, ruined their preparations and prevented the green grass from growing.
"I think he never said it is in bad condition but he did say that the outfield has some rough patches where fielding is difficult we recently redid the whole ground and we had got in Bermuda grass which is winter grass and the first time it is used in the country and the weather has been difficult for the last six months there has been a lot of rain and the winter had prolonged. We are hopeful and we are working overnight to rectify the problem so that the players don't face any issues when they are fielding. Yeah, definitely you can see it for yourself the condition has improved over the last game," Mohit Sood told ANI.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott and England skipper Jos Buttler recently critiqued the Dharamshala outfield.
Buttler described the sandy Dharamsala outfield as "poor" while Trott came down heavily on the quality of the outfield after his team suffered a loss to Bangladesh in their World Cup opening match.
"I think it's poor, in my own opinion. I think any time you're talking about being careful diving, or maybe being careful when you're fielding, it goes against everything you want to be as a team. You want to dive through a row of houses to save a run. That's obviously not ideal, the way the surface is, the outfield. But 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 as a team, or as a player, or in a World Cup match," Buttler said during a pre-match press conference.
During Saturday's match against Bangladesh at the site, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman's leg was stuck in the surface, raising questions about the sandy composition.
Afghanistan's coach Jonathan Trott said Mujeeb was "lucky" to escape a serious injury, and also warned England players about the state of the outfield.
"I don't think that's a decision for me to sit here and make an assessment of. I just think 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. And when you've got players worried about getting injured, I mean, we're lucky Mujeeb he hasn't got a serious knee injury towards the end. Yes, he probably shouldn't have dived on his knee, but we saw so I think it was Devon Conway from New Zealand early on as well," Trott said in a post-match press conference.
"So, something for them to look at, but it's not the reason why we lost today. I'm definitely not putting any blame on that, but that's something to keep an eye on for the future, hopefully," he added. (ANI)