Quote:Come to think of it, it is remarkable that a region of just over seven million people could, for almost two decades, dominate a sport conTested by countries with markedly larger populations. To understand this, one has to appreciate how much a part of the fabric of the society cricket was.

It was played in every makeshift space in every community, often with an intensity reserved only for serious and meaningful endeavors. Lara wrote of regularly playing a version of cricket called "pass out," where if you missed the ball while batting you were out. He used to bat for so long that a gentleman who lived nearby would often offer the other boys money for getting him out. Sometimes he didn't get out for quite a few days.

Lawrence Rowe was walking close to the playground while at school one day when he saw a ball flying in his direction and caught it. Since it was a variation of cricket we called ketchy shubby in Jamaica, it meant that the batsman was out, and having caught the ball it was now Rowe's turn to bat. But he was smaller and younger than the boys playing, and thinking he might be too intimidated to face bigger boys, a few of them beseeched him to allow one of them to bat in his stead. He resisted their supplications, went to the wicket, and proceeded to bat for the whole afternoon. Impressed, they escorted him to the school's sports master to relate what they had just witnessed, and to get the future batting stylist into the school team.