A Worldly Pitch

"If I'd have bat even five more overs..." he says, even as Bascus and Virgil continue scoring in gobs. The runs pile up to 190, now 200.

"This is excitement, man, this is excitement," Jarvis says. Before the final over, he checks the score and steps onto the edge of the field.

Colby Katz

The Leeward Islands players (above) display their cricket whites -- it is a gentleman's game, after all -- before Jarvis Francis and Boswell Jeffers, at right, chow down on seasoned rice.

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More About

• Winston Miller
• Lauderhill
• Robert Bascus
• Cricket
• Fruits and Vegetables

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"Bascus!" he shouts. Bascus looks up from the far end of the pitch. Jarvis holds up five fingers on his right hand, closes his fist, then holds up five more fingers, then five more, and five more, and five more for measure. Bascus' shoulders start to shake, as if he's laughing. He replies by making an oversized "OK" sign with one huge glove. Twenty-five runs on six balls. Sure, man, no problem.

A couple of runs later, the game ends on a Bascus pop-up. As the batter trudges back, Jarvis walks onto the field with a drink in one hand. He throws his free arm over Bascus' shoulder.

"Look how close, man," Bascus says as he checks the final score of 222 to 245. "Son of a bitch."

It's past 6 o'clock. The sinking sun peeks out from behind some clouds, splashing the field a shade of pink. Garbage bags appear, to gather the remains of the merrymaking. Virgil begins tossing spent coconut shells into the back of Miller's truck. Miller marks down his plates of seasoned rice to a very reasonable $3 a plate, with a sheet of foil included, for easy carriage home, to eat later, now, whenever, man, whenever.