For the Afghanistan cricketers, it was a meatball-sized problem to fork through! The non-availability of halal meat,
a must-have in their menu, in their Bridgetown hotel forced them to temporarily wear a chef's apron.
For the Afghans, who descended to this beautiful seaside town for their T20 World Cup Super Eights match against India, it was a different experience after tasting the overflowing Indian hospitality during last year's 50-over showpiece.
Halal meat is available in the Caribbean, but it is not certain that all hotels and restaurants will have it on their menu.
"Halal meat is not available in our hotel. Sometimes we cook on our own or sometimes we go out. In the last World Cup in India, everything was perfect. Halal beef is an issue here. We had it in St Lucia but it is not there at all venues. A friend arranged it for us and we cooked on our own," a player told PTI.
India thumped Afghanistan by 47 runs at the Kensington Oval here on Thursday to make an ideal start to the Super 8 stage.
The scheduling of Super 8s is pretty intense with teams having to play three games in different countries with only one day for travel in between - a logistical nightmare in these islands with limited air connectivity.
Another member of the Afghanistan team said the nature of the Super-8 schedule has also impacted the preparations.
"There is uncertainty over flights and training schedule. We are often informed about it at the last minute. We understand that the organisers are doing their best considering logistical challenges, which are bigger in the Caribbean than anywhere else," he said.
Afghanistan face Australia next in St Vincent on Saturday.
(ndtv.com)
