Proteas captain Bavuma not concerned about ‘patchy’ outfield

They will be more careful than usual when fielding in Dharamshala on Tuesday, Temba Bavuma has admitted, but the Proteas captain virtually brushed aside the criticism directed towards the outfield at HPCA Stadium ahead of their clash with the Netherlands at the Cricket World Cup.

The sandy, patchy outfield at the scenic ground raised concerns earlier in the tournament, but an independent pitch consultant hired by the International Cricket Council cleared it for continued action.

Aiming for their third straight victory at the quadrennial showpiece, Bavuma said on Monday the South Africans would be cautious, but he was not too concerned about the condition of the surface.

Better than it looks

“I think the field is a bit patchy, but we did have a fielding practice last night and to be honest it didn’t play as bad as it really looked,” the skipper said.

“I guess we’ll see how it goes within the game. We have spoken about, you know, trying to be a bit more cautious, maybe changing your diving technique. I don’t know how easy that is to do when you’re in the heat of the moment, but I guess the guys will just have to pay a bit more attention to that.”

The Proteas will be looking to return to the top of the round robin table in their clash against minnows the Netherlands.

While India and New Zealand are two points ahead of them on points ahead of the match, the Proteas hold a game in hand over both sides and a third win should see them returning to the summit on net run-rate.

One of only two teams which have not yet picked up a point, the Netherlands will be desperate to stun their fancied opponents and keep their playoff hopes alive.

The game starts at 10.30am (SA time).