ICC World Cup 2023: England to field smart at Dharamsala’s tricky outfield

• England will play Bangladesh at Dharamshala.
• The outfield at Dharamshala has been cleared by the ICC.
• Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rehman narrowly avoided a knee injury.

Following a significant loss to New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023 opener in Ahmedabad, England’s upcoming match against Bangladesh holds immense importance as they strive to progress in the tournament. The defending champions currently occupy the bottom spot on the points table due to a negative net run rate (NRR).

The match against Bangladesh will take place at the HCPA Stadium in Dharamshala, where an independent pitch consultant hired by the International Cricket Council (ICC) has cleared the outfield after issues during the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan game.

Jos Buttler’s team practiced in Dharamshala for the first time on Sunday, acknowledging the challenges faced by players in the previous match. England’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Jonny Bairstow, discussed the outfield conditions and emphasized that his team plans to implement a “strategic” fielding approach to prevent injuries.

“There’s been a lot of chat about it. It’s just about being smart about it. The last thing you want is guys going off with knee injuries or something,” Bairstow said.

“It will be very difficult to hold someone back if they see a ball and they try to stop it — it’s a natural reaction to go for it. You might be a bit more clever about how you go about it — it might affect your angles and where you stand.”

Afghanistan’s crucial spinner, Mujeeb ur Rehman, narrowly avoided a knee injury during their match against Bangladesh at the same venue. The 22-year-old was running towards the boundary and attempted a dive to stop the ball, causing his knee to get stuck in the surface. Fortunately, he escaped without any injury.

Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan’s head coach, and former English player, shared insights about the condition of the outfield.

“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, encouraged to improve their fielding,” Trott said. “And when you’ve got players worried about getting injured… I mean, we are lucky Mujeeb hasn’t got a serious knee injury towards the end.

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