We have played in worse conditions, says Dhoni

LAUDERHILL: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and West Indies skipper Carlos Brathwaite differed in their opinion on the quality of the Central Broward Regional Park after the second T20 International was called off due to wet outfield here.

After dismissing West Indies for 143, India were 15 for no loss in two overs when a 15-minute thunderstorm left huge puddles on some section of the field, including the bowler’s run-up at the pavilion end of the ground, forcing the officials to call off the match.

“There were about two or three (areas of concern). Looking from the pavilion, the run-ups on that side and just beside the sponsor’s (painted ad on field) plus probably mid-on and then there was a little patch on the (west) side looking from the pavilion again,” Brathwaite said.

“So in my opinion it was unsafe, and even if the run-ups were good and a guy hits a ball in the outfield in a fast-paced T20 game and he chases behind it and pulls something, that could be the end of a guy’s career.

Dhoni, however, said he has played in worse conditions..

“What the umpires told us, there was not adequate equipment over here and the condition of it was quite bad, so because the conditions wouldn’t improve we won’t be able to play a game,” Dhoni said.

“That’s a call that the match officials have to make and as far as I’ve played close to 10 years of international cricket and frankly I’ve played under worse off conditions.

“If I remember in 2011, the whole ODI series that we played in England, it was literally playing under the rain. I feel definitely the conditions ... ultimately the umpires decide so they decide you play, we play. If they say okay it was unfit for play, it was unfit for play.”