At the age of 19, Keemo Mandela Angus Paul is making giant leaps in regional cricket with consistent performances which have allowed him to earn a place for the first time in the Guyana Jaguars 4-day squad for their upcoming match against Jamaica Scorpions in the regional tournament.
The talented all-rounder who hails from the village of Saxacalli, Essequibo River, has donned national colours at all age ranges for the youth level and most memorably in the role of Vice Captain for the West Indies Under-19 team at the 2016 Youth World Cup, he hit the winning run in the thrilling final against India.
Since then Paul has entered Cricket Guyana Inc’s Academy Programme and has visibly improved his game tremendously.
At the recent Regional Super50, the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) player outfitted for the West Indies Under-19s where he made 139 runs from 11 innings, including a highest of 72 against English county side, Kent Spitfire, while he took 12 wickets with his medium-pace. In an interview with Guyana Times Sport on Sunday, Paul was adamant that the opportunity was huge for him and he plans to use it to further his career.
Keemo Mandela Angus Paul
“I must thank the selectors for showing faith in me and putting me in the four-day squad; it is an overwhelming feeling, a very good feeling , this is a very big opportunity for me to play alongside senior players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Leon Johnson, guys that you look up to,” Paul expressed.
He added, “I will try to gain as much possible knowledge from these guys and definitely try to improve my game; I’m just looking to grab this opportunity with both possible hands and make it count and try to be consistent as possible”.
Though the cricketer would have played 3-day games for Guyana at youth level and List A cricket for the regional youth side, the rigors of First-class cricket are completely different but this in no way is viewed as daunting for the player.
“I’m ready, I have been training hard, going to the gym, eating healthy and I’m 100% fit and I’m just ready to go show what I can do”, Paul confidently stated.
He added, “Super50 is a shorter tournament, you have to acquire runs more quickly, but in the 4-day you can be more circumspect leave-alone more balls and play the situation accordingly”.
With success coming at rapid rate for the right-handed batsman, he was quizzed if he expected such senior recognition to occur so quickly.
He responded stating, “Starting out playing cricket from a young age and getting recognized I expected this, I have been training and working hard for this and I’m ready to go out there and show the selectors what I can and produce for them having faith in me”. The right-arm medium pacer is most appreciative for the support of his father and mother, David Paul and Rita Hendricks along with “Mr. Safraz and the guys and V/Net Communications, the people of Saxacalli, Mr. Nazir Khan and others who know themselves”. Paul and the rest of the Guyana Jaguars team are expected to leave these shores on Tuesday for their top-of-the table clash at Sabina Park beginning on Friday.
