Jermaine Lawson captivated the international cricketing community during the early 2000s with his lightning-fast bowling: an intimidating dart-like delivery that could dismiss batsmen almost before they saw the ball coming. But controversy marred his career, and Mr. Lawson, a Jamaican cricketer who played for the West Indies, gradually faded from the sport’s spotlight, leaving his admirers to wonder as to his whereabouts.

Mr. Lawson, 32, was the subject of a Metropolitan cover article in September that detailed his re-emergence as the star on a smaller stage: the hardscrabble pitches of Brooklyn, where he has become a fixture of the New York weekend cricket scene since he moved to the city in 2010.

Speculation as to whether Mr. Lawson would ever again play professionally has surrounded him. And in October, Mr. Lawson returned to professional international competitive cricket in Malaysia as a player for the United States national team. He competed against countries including Nepal, Singapore, Bermuda and Uganda. The tournament ended on Thursday. The team won its first game (with Mr. Lawson eliminating a batsman on his very first delivery), lost its next four and then finished the tournament with another victory over Bermuda. His former team, the West Indies, plays in the highest group; the American team occupies a lower level.

The controversy that follows Mr. Lawson involves accusations that he was bowling illegally, a charge referred to as “suspect action” and known informally as “chucking.” In cricket, a bowler can’t hurl the ball the way a baseball pitcher does. A cricket bowler must keep his arm relatively straight; bending more than a certain degree can add extra speed to the ball.