Keemo Paul credits CWI for hosting white-ball camp

– calls for more of these initiatives

By Brandon Corlette

West Indies all-rounder Keemo Paul is currently making a return to the highest level of cricket. The 24-year-old Guyanese is currently in Antigua for a West Indies white-ball camp that commenced on March 31 and will conclude on April 13. During a recent interview with this daily publication, Paul said: “It is really good to be back among the West Indian set-up. It is really good. I know a lot of guys, just to be around the environment, it feels really good. We have been here for a week, and we had skills training, like we are focusing on specifics, to get shots right, bowling the Yorkers, and it has been really good.

“The camp has been really good. So far, I have enjoyed it thoroughly, it is really good, I must say. I must commend CWI for this, and I think we need a lot more of this, moving forward. (I speak) for me, and all the rest of players will share the same sentiments; and the weather has been good to us,” Paul said.
In addition to Paul, the other Guyanese among the 16-players selected for the white-ball camp are Chandrapaul Hemraj and Nial Smith.
Prior to the start of the camp, Head Coach Phil Simmons outlined that the camp would focus on improving skill sets as the West Indies look ahead to two major global events over the next two years – the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, and the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be played in India.
Simmons said: “The camp will be a chance for us to do some work with players in the white-ball format, players who might have a chance to play in the coming white-ball teams later this year. The most important thing is that we will be doing things in the camp that we have not been doing well, such as rotating strike, sweeping, and playing spin better. It’s about working on things that we’re not 100 percent at yet. We have several players at IPL who will be working at their games as well, so we’re working with the players here to make sure they keep up the standard and improve.”
Simmons added: “Keacy Carty was a reserve for the team which toured India in February. If there was any reason why players couldn’t go, he was the next batsman in line. He is one of the players we have looked at before. Nyeem Young is one of the potentially good young all-rounders we have around the Caribbean, so we just want to bring them in and get them to understand what we expect of them if they get to that level.”
The camp will be held at Coolidge Cricket Ground, the new home of Cricket West Indies in Antigua. It will also help preparation for West Indies 2022 schedule with home and way tours all featuring white-ball cricket. In late May, West Indies travel to the Netherlands for the first ever three-match One Day International Series between the two teams, to be followed by the rescheduled three-match ODI Series against Pakistan which was postponed in December. These fixtures form part of the ICC ODI Super League, wherein teams would have opportunity to secure points to try and secure one of the top seven places, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
West Indies will then be hosting tours by Bangladesh, India and New Zealand, with all three series featuring white-ball matches.
LIST OF PLAYERS AT THE CAMP: Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Brandon King, Kjorn Ottley, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Nial Smith, Devon Thomas and Nyeem Young.