By: Brandon Corlette
The last time Keemo Paul played for West Indies was on November 28, 2020.
Paul’s journey to the top was halted by injuries, but the man from Essequibo is fit, focused and ready to go. Recently, Paul showed his high level of fitness at the yo-yo test where he scored more than level 40 and he is currently preparing for the regional 4-Day tournament with the Guyana Harpy Eagles.
In a recent interview, the all-rounder gave an update on his body, and he also spoke about his experience in the Lankan Premier League.
“I am feeling excellent, I think I needed this to get back out there and bowl a few overs to get the feel of four-day cricket. My body is responding really well and for me personally, I am feeling really happy with where I am right now. I bowled a few overs on the trot, I was not feeling tired, I just wanted to put a few balls in the right area and it’s coming out really nice and I am happy with that,” Paul said.
He added: “I was in the Sri Lankan Premier League, it was not the best of tournaments for me, but it is always a learning experience for me; you go to these different leagues in the different continents and you play on different pitches, you gain a lot of experience so that was a major learning curve for me.”
“My body is starting to feel like where it was when I first started playing. I am in the gym and I am trying not to worry about injuries. I just want to try and enjoy my cricket as best as I can. I want to represent my country and hopefully, back to the West Indies team sometime soon.”
Paul, who has an impressive First-Class record under his belt with 88 wickets from 29 matches, said he was really looking forward to the upcoming regional 4-Day tournament.
“Well, I am really looking forward to the regional 4-Day tournament right now. This is where I first made my mark, where I took a lot of wickets and scored some runs. I want to get back into the set-up, go out there and do well for Guyana, especially, it’s a new season and I have not played cricket for two years – my last being in New Zealand, so I just want to go out there and play some good cricket, do well, and get back into the West Indies colours that’s my goal,” Paul explained.
Paul has played three Test matches, 19 One-Day Internationals and 20 T20 Internationals. In Paul’s 22 First-Class matches, he scored 710 runs with one century and two fifties. The bowling all-rounder averages 22 with the bat and an impressive 18 with the ball for his 88 wickets in only 39 innings. He has best bowling figures of 6-28 and a best match haul of 10-129. [First published in the Guyana Times]
