'Don't think I will probably do it again' – Keemo Paul on his 2016 'Mankad'

Paul's decision to run out last man Ngarava as he backed up too far at the non-striker's end, with Zimbabwe three runs away from victory, propelled West Indies – the eventual champions – to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The dismissal came into the limelight once again, when Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin used it to remove Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League last week. The incident divided opinion in the cricket community and sparked a worldwide debate on whether the 'Mankad' should be employed.

Paul, too, had undergone significant backlash from the Zimbabwe fans back then. "At first, it was definitely tough," he told ESPNcricinfo. "I just locked myself away. I saw it on BBC. I read a lot of comments on social media. I took it hard. I cried a lot. And wondered if I did the right thing, but my coaching staff and everyone else supported me very well.

"It was definitely anger in the crowd and they were disappointed. It's how cricket goes. It is in the rules. I remember going back for World Cup qualifiers and the stadium was packed. And it was in Zimbabwe. Everybody [was] shouting against me all the time. It just gave me energy and the vibe to do good against them."

Shimron Hetymer, who captained West Indies at the tournament, admitted that the dismissal was "probably not" in the spirit of the game, but did not regret appealing for the wicket. "Cricket is a game of uncertainties. We've seen it happen in cricket before, it's not a big deal for us," he had said back then.

"After I did it, after seeing all the comments, I was definitely devastated, you know," Paul said. "But the coaches supported me a lot, especially Corey Collymore. He came to me and said, 'don't worry, it is in the rules'. That's when I started to gain confidence again. After reading all the comments and stuff, I just wanted to lock myself away and forget about it."

Since then, Paul has come a long way in his career. He has made 27 appearances for the senior West Indies team, and is currently representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

While the pacer has left the incident behind him, he has learned his lesson. "Definitely, I believed what I did was right," he said. "I was only 17, I came down hard on myself, kept wondering if I did the right thing. That was just instinct. Now, I have matured more and I don't think I will probably do it again."