“I could not have asked for a better dad and role model”

– Keemo Paul says of his father

By Brandon Corlette

Every son’s first superhero is his father. This is the same for West Indies cricketer Keemo Paul, who described his father, David Paul, as hard-working and passionate.
“I love my dad very, very, very much. Love him to the end of the world and back. Same with my mom and my entire family, my brothers and sisters. And now I have my own family; my wife, my daughter, everyone,” Keemo said in an exclusive Father’s Day special.
It is no secret that the Paul family endured struggles in their early days in the village of Saxacalli, Essequibo; and today Keemo has certainly made his family proud. The 25-year-old all-rounder, who is also father to a lovely new daughter, also spoke about the struggles he and his dad endured, from not having money to eating the same box of lunch and being happy.

“In my early days growing up, once my dad was not working and he was in Saxacalli (home), he was all about cricket. From the age of three, he was behind me, bowling, and batting. It was from there that the love started, and then he was just there guiding me along all the time. He came to every softball match when he could, he made a cricket pitch up Saxacalli off his own. He would roll the pitch, and prepare the wicket. He was behind me 1000 percent, and everyone knew that. I could not have asked for better, to be honest,” Keemo said.
“When I migrated internally to Wakenaam, I started playing hardball, got selected for Essequibo, and I basically started taking cricket seriously. He was behind me in every way. Every game where I went to in Georgetown, he would take my gear bag and show me, or teach me, which bust I had to take. He was always behind me.
“My dad never missed a game, unless he had work to complete that was very important. He would sit there, sometimes with no money, nothing. I would sit there, eat half my lunch and share it with him, and we were pretty happy. Me and my dad came through from nothing, so today I am really appreciative of what he had done for me. I could not have asked for a better dad and role model, to be honest,” Keemo explained.
Keemo’s father David is an easygoing man, and Keemo has certainly inherited his humility from his parents, especially his dad. “The best advice my dad would have given to me is to stay humble, stay focused, be dedicated, and don’t let anything get to your head. That is what he basically told me,” Keemo explained.
Reflecting on how his father reacted when he was first elected to the West Indies and the IPL, Keemo said: “I was in Antigua playing West Indies ‘A’ team cricket. I could not have gotten his reaction when I got selected for the senior team. He was in Kaituma, so I could not have gotten his reaction. I know he would have been overwhelmed and emotional to hear that I got selected. I cannot remember how he got the message exactly. Back then, my parents knew nothing about WhatsApp.
“It was the same with IPL, I was in Bangladesh when I first got selected to the IPL. I could not have remembered how I got the message to them, but they knew because they were watching the auction. In everything I do, my father is passionate and happy for me. Only now does my mom have WhatsApp, and she knows to call and message me, so we all talk when I am away. My father never had these smartphones, but now he has one, but he still does not know too much about them.”
Keemo, who is currently in Zimbabwe with the West Indies team for the World Cup Qualifiers, said it is now time for his father to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour.
“The quality I took from my dad is that I am passionate, caring, and protective of my family. There are a lot of traits I took from my dad. He and my mom raised me into a fine person with the qualities you need to get through this life. I am very thankful for everything my parents have done for me, especially my dad. I could never forget my dad for everything he has done. God knows what we have been through. We have been through some tough times. Now is the time for my father to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his son’s labour. He truly deserves that,” Keemo concluded.