Mandela, Keemo Angus Paul is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler for the West Indies. The Guyanese cricketer is known for his fast bowling action and ability to use the long lever to his advantage.
The versatile all-rounder was born on February 21, 1998, and has made headlines during his brief international and domestic career for the notorious Mankading incident, which sent a struggling West Indies side into the World Cup Qualifiers Quarter-final.
Awards
The 2019 CWI Emerging Cricketer of the Year
Career
Domestic Career
Keemo made his List A debut when he was 17 years old, the same year he was named to the U19 World Cup squad. Because of a couple of incidents during the match, he drew the wrath of cricket fans all over the world. In 2017, he made his First-Class debut for Guyana in the Four-Day Regional Cup, the islands’ premier domestic competition. In the 2017–18 Regional Four Day Competition, he batted for Guyana against Jamaica and scored his first century in first-class cricket.
In the Caribbean islands, the Guyanese all-rounder competes for his home country of Guyana in First Class and List A domestic competitions. In order to win a vital match and qualify for the Quarter Finals, he ‘mankaded’ a Zimbabwe batsman. A few days later, he became famous for scoring the winning runs against India in the World Cup Final.
IPL and other T20 leagues
The Delhi Capitals franchise signed him for the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League after seeing him do well both at home and abroad. During the season, he featured in eight games, making 18 runs and taking nine wickets.
In 2017, he was chosen to play for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, and he is still a member of the team. He has played 13 tournament matches in his first two seasons with the unit, making 28 runs and taking 7 wickets.
In June 2019, he was picked to play in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament for the Montreal Tigers franchise team.
International Career
In the ICC World Cup Qualifiers for the mega event in 2019, Paul made his ODI debut. On March 15, 2018, he played against Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. He was booed by the audience for the notorious mankading of the home team’s batsman. The West Indies batted first, scoring 197/8 in 50 overs. Paul made an undefeated 16-run innings. In his 8.4 overs, he also took 2/29 as Afghanistan chased down the mark with 3 wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare. Paul has appeared in 16 One-Day Internationals, taking 20 wickets and making 161 runs.
He was called up to the national team as a result of his success in domestic tournaments and then the Caribbean Premier League. About the fact that West Indies’ T20I debut was a catastrophe, Paul stood out in both innings. On April 1, 2018, the Caribbean boys faced Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi to resume international fixtures in the country. In their 20 overs, the home side scored 203/5, but Paul bowled well and returned with figures of 1/26 in his four overs. The guests were then skittled out for 60, their lowest total in a T20I at the time. Paul was the only one who didn’t make it to eleven.
Three months later, on July 12, 2018, Paul made his Test debut against Bangladesh at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. For 354, the home team was all out. In his first Test innings, Paul was dismissed for a five-ball duck. Bangladesh scored just 149 points in their first article, with Paul taking 2/25. The visitors were given a 335-point goal, while the hosts were given 129. Bangladesh could only muster 168 runs and lost by 166 runs.
Family
Rita Paul and David Paul welcomed Keemo Paul into the world on February 21, 1998. Keemo was an immediate success at the Essequibo Islands High School after completing the country’s National Grade Six Examination at the age of 11.
He learned everything from wicketkeeping to catching to batting to bowling spin and pace, and it’s no joke that he made the National Under-15 team. Since then, reverse gear has been thrown out the window, enabling him to climb through the ranks easily.