3 times the outfield of a cricket ground came under intense scrutiny ft. Dharamsala

The outfield at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, which is one of the 2023 World Cup venues, is in the news for the wrong reasons.

A video of Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s knee getting stuck in the turf as he attempted to save a boundary in the match against Bangladesh went viral on social media, raising concerns over players’ safety.

After the game, Afghanistan's head coach Jonathan Trott opined that Mujeeb was lucky to escape without a serious injury after his left knee dug into the Dharamsala turf. ESPNcricinfo reported that “the grass on the outfield was patchy and mossy, and several players on both sides lost their footing in the deep”.

Ahead of England’s 2023 World Cup clash against Bangladesh, skipper Jos Buttler conceded that he was concerned over the outfield in Dharamsala and termed it as poor.

Earlier, the match officials' report for the Bangladesh-Afghanistan match described the outfield as "average". Andy Atkinson, the ICC independent pitch consultant, inspected it and said he was "comfortable" with its state.

In the wake of the Mujeeb incident, we look at three instances when the outfield of a cricket ground came under intense scrutiny.

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#1 India-Australia Test moved from Dharamsala to Indore

A view of the scenic stadium in Dharamsala (Pic: X)

Dharamsala was in the news earlier this year as well. The venue was supposed to host the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the Test match had to be moved to Indore because the ground in Dharamsala was ruled out since the ground was not ready.

"Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield [at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala] lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully," a BCCI statement said about the change in venue.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, a panel that visited the ground in Dharamsala for inspection observed that there were several bare patches on the outfield, which was relaid by HPCA to install a new drainage system.

The BCCI’s inspection panel deemed the conditions unfavorable after which the Border-Gavaskar Test was moved to Indore.

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#2 Outfield for the 2016 Queen's Park Oval Test got a “poor” rating

The Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad (Pic: X)

It comes as no surprise that the outfield for the 2016 Queen's Park Oval Test between India and West Indies got a poor rating from the match referee.

In what was a rather bizarre sequence of events, only 22 overs could be bowled on the opening day of the Test match, with “unplayable conditions” preventing any play on the next four days of the Test match.

Ranjan Madugalle, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, submitted his reports to the ICC, expressing concern over the quality of the outfield.

West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first in the Test match. They were 62/2 after 22 overs when no further play was possible. The game ended in a draw. India won the four-match series 2-0.

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#3 Outfield for the 2017 Dhaka Test also got a “poor” rating

A general view of the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. (Pic: Getty Images)

The outfield of the Shere Bangla National Stadium, where the Bangladesh-Australia first Test was held in August 2017, was given a “poor” rating by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe. In his report, Crowe expressed concern over the quality of the outfield.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the Test was held during Bangladesh's off-season. After the 2016 BPL final, the outfield grass was taken off completely and the surface was relaid.

However, just a week before the Test, concerns about the quality of the outfield came to the fore. There were some talks of the Test being shifted as well since the full grass covering was missing.

"The grass was their main concern and we understand why they found it to be poor. The weather this year was the worst in the last decade, but the ground staff gave it their best," then BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted as telling the media.

Incidentally, Bangladesh created history in the match, registering their maiden Test win over Australia. Shakib Al Hasan scored 84 in the first innings and claimed 10 wickets in the Test as Bangladesh registered victory by 20 runs.