‘No Halal Meat’, Afghanistan Cricketers Turns Chef In Barbados

The non-availability of the halal meat, was a challenge for the Afghanistan cricketers in their Bridgetown hotel that forced them to temporarily wear a chef’s apron.

It was a different experience for the Afghans, who traveled to this picturesque seaside resort for their T20 World Cup Super Eights encounter against India, after experiencing the abundance of Indian hospitality during the 50-over final last year.

The Hahal meat is available in the Caribbean but not necessarily to be found in the hotels.

“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.

At the Kensington Oval here on Thursday, India defeated Afghanistan by 47 runs to get off to a perfect start in the Super 8 stage. The Super 8 schedule is quite demanding, with teams having to travel one day between three games in three separate nations. This presents a logistical challenge in these islands with sparse air connectivity.

The Super-8 schedule, according to another member of the Afghanistan team, has affected the preparations as well.

What is Halal Meat?

It’s meat that has been prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary requirements, which mandate that the animal must be slaughtered in a particular manner and that it must be pure. To minimize suffering, a sharp knife is used to cut the animal’s throat during the halal slaughter process.