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O'Keefe emerges from spin shadows

Steve O'Keefe, a New South Wales slow-bowling allrounder, had a match-winning impact for an Australian side over the past week

Peter English
Peter English
24-Jun-2010
Steve O'Keefe took seven wickets against Sri Lanka A last week but was slightly more satisfied with his first-innings 61  •  Getty Images

Steve O'Keefe took seven wickets against Sri Lanka A last week but was slightly more satisfied with his first-innings 61  •  Getty Images

A New South Wales slow-bowling allrounder had a match-winning impact for an Australian side over the past week. But he wasn't Steven Smith and the star knows he was fortunate to be playing. If Jon Holland and Jason Krejza had avoided off-season surgery and Smith hadn't been with the limited-overs squad in England, Steve O'Keefe would have been on holiday.
Instead O'Keefe, a left-arm spinner, was at Allan Border Field tormenting Sri Lanka A by following his 61 on a tacky pitch with 7 for 35 and another 47. It was the sort of comprehensive contribution allrounders dream of and his came for Australia A in only his seventh first-class game.
O'Keefe, 25, played down his achievements, being satisfied to succeed in both disciplines at a more senior level, and is aiming to chip in again in the second four-day match of the series in Townsville from Friday. "With everyone fit, I probably wasn't going to be the next spinner in this, but given the opportunity I'm stoked and hope to keep contributing," he told Cricinfo.
Despite his destructive performance with the ball, O'Keefe was slightly more satisfied with his vital half-century in the opening innings. A No. 8 with aspirations of shifting up the order, he put on 105 with Ben Hilfenhaus to lift the hosts to what turned into an impressive total of 208.
"It's always good to get five-for, but I did enjoy the 60," he said. "The partnership with Ben was pretty important, we were 7 for 100 and could have easily folded, but we fought and dug in. I was probably more happy with the 60 that got the team into a reasonable position and gave us something to bowl at."
Australia, who won the opening game by 107 runs, remain cautious of Sri Lanka and will be particularly careful with the offspinner Sachithra Senanayake, who took 11 wickets in game one, and the fast bowler Dammika Prasad. "They are a very talented group," O'Keefe said. "There's enough there for us to watch out and be wary of."
A Twenty20 and three one-day games follow the final first-class fixture of the series and the inclusion of Josh Hazlewood and Usman Khawaja in Australia's squads in England has forced some changes. Luke Feldman, the Queensland fast bowler, and Michael Klinger, the new South Australia captain, have been added to the limited-overs outfit.
O'Keefe will not be part of those games - Xavier Doherty has been named as the specialist spinner - and life back in New South Wales will contain more jostling for selection. He played five Sheffield Shield games last season, taking 15 wickets at 30.93, but there are seven spinners in the Blues squad, ranging from Nathan Hauritz and Smith to the rookies Luke Doran and Adam Zampa.
"From my point of view I can't really rest, knowing those guys are around," he said. "A couple have played Test cricket, one will, there are some young guys, who knows how good they could be?"
With so much fresh talent in the New South Wales squad, 25 is the new 35. "I'm one of the older ones now, it's a bit bizarre," he said. "I've gone from feeling pretty young in the squad to one of the older ones. So I don't take an opportunity for granted, I realise I have to make every post a winner."

Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo