Daren Sammy brings a lot of energy and motivation to the camp: Keemo Paul

Daren Sammy was appointed as the white-ball coach of the West Indies cricket team on May 12 and he excelled in his first assignment as the Windies white-washed the UAE on the latter's home turf in a three-match ODI series.

The decision was met with some criticism as former West Indies batter Ramnaresh Sarwan questioned Sammy's appointment ahead of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who led Jamaica Tallawahs to the Caribbean Premier League title last season.

West Indian all-rounder Keemo Paul, who made his return from injury during the recent UAE series, was seen taking the new ball. In the two matches he played, Paul scalped 4 wickets. The talented youngster recently lauded Sammy, explaining the impact the two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain has had on the team.

“It’s really good to have a legend like Daren Sammy around, he has a very calm demeanour. He is a very cool guy. The players feel really, really good and really, really comfortable. He also brings a lot of energy and motivation to the camp," said Paul to ICC.

Keemo Paul confident of West Indies' chances of ODI World Cup qualification

Keemo Paul is unwilling to think of the repercussions if West Indies fail to make the cut for the impending ODI World Cup. He expressed his confidence in the team and said that they will make their way to the ODI World Cup by doing well in the World Cup Qualifier tournament that will commence on June 18.

“I wouldn’t say not qualifying would be a failure, but I wouldn’t look down that road because I think we’ll definitely qualify."

“In life, I don’t see anything as a failure. It’s all about learning and moving forward. I’m pretty confident and that’s the mood in the camp. We’re up for it, so I definitely think that we will qualify," the 25-year-old added.

Paul returned to the West Indies side for the first time since July 2022. He explained how self-motivation and mental toughness were critical in helping him make a comeback.

“I’ve been out for a while and to come back, I’m just really excited to play some cricket and to perform back amongst my friends, people that I call my second family. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I would say I’ve had to dial in more on specifics and get mentally tough to get back here. Cricket is all about being mentally strong. It was just about speaking to the right people, getting the right motivation, and also motivating myself."

“I definitely think I’m a match winner, I always try to be positive, I always try to be my own hype man. I just try to motivate myself as much as possible. People may say that I am a match-winner, but I want to prove it," said the all-rounder.