I had to do what was best for me - Jermaine Lawson on his New York life

Jermaine Lawson

Caribbean fast bowler Jermaine Lawson has sadly faded into oblivion in recent years, with his last international appearance coming way back in 2005. It is easy to forget, but for a period of time, Lawson was considered West Indies’ next big hope in the fast bowling department due to his ability to hit high speeds consistently.

He had burst on to the international scene with wickets of none other than Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar on his Test debut, in 2002, not to forget his Test hat-trick against Australia at Barbados shortly after, and looked on course to be fulfilling the huge potential he undoubtedly had.

But accusations of a suspect bowling action, in 2003, had an adverse effect on his career, and he was never really able to recover from that setback. Lawson, now 32, lives in New York, having moved there five years ago, and has a one-year old son, whom he spends most of his time with. He hasn’t given up on his cricket, though. He plays for a largely West Indian club called Sheffield in a league consisting of both amateurs and retired professionals, and his bowling maintains a fearsome reputation among the city’s cricketers.

Lawson acknowledges that cricket in New York is nothing like what it was in Jamaica, where he is originally from, but he finds himself at a lot more at ease now that he no longer has to cope with the stress international cricket brought.

“Cricket in New York is nothing like it is in Jamaica,” Lawson said. “We make do with what we have.”

Recalling his Test debut against India, where he snaffled the prized wickets of Dravid and Tendulkar, Lawson said: “Everybody wanted to know what it felt like to get out two of the best players in the world. I was in my hotel room with all these calls coming in. My career took off after that.”

But his magnificent start was a double-edged sword, with people around the world starting to scrutinize his action a lot more closely than they would’ve done, otherwise. He was initially called for chucking in 2003, and, even though he was cleared by the ICC then, allegations refused to go away and took a heavy toll on Lawson.

“I don’t really think about it so much anymore,” he said about the charge. “They target people when they’re doing well.”

Lawson added that his decision to relocate to New York was because of his girlfriend moving to the city, but it also provided him a welcome break from constant scrutiny.

“I needed a break,” he said. “Every time I was performing, there was something wrong.

“Change is hard,” he continued. “And it was difficult. But I had to do what was best for me.”

He was also resentful about the way the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) dealt with the whole affair, adding that a lot of bowlers from other countries get away in these cases because of the support they get from their cricket board.

“West Indies Cricket Board does not take care of their players,” he said. “You are on your own.”