The Mad Hatter
Coach
- Messages
- 14,521
I saw SOK act like a merkin at Blacktown nets. Source: my own f**king eyes.
Did you actually watch Lyon bowl ? even the commentators were crictical of job he was doing along with his lack of variation.Good for you supporting Lyon while his bowling performance was mediocre but dont make out your some kind of knowledgeable spin guru when former test players where even crictical of his bowling display
which tests?
There is obviously a reason that we dont know about.
On form he would be the first spinner picked for Australia
TBH, on a turning wicket Lyon probably a better option... sounds like O'Keefe is a Vetorri type bowler, demanding but not likely to rip through test lineups - Vetorri of course offered us so much more, genuine bowling all-rounder (averaged 40 with the bast for a few years I think), captain etc
Lyon has shown he can finish tests off in the right conditions, something Vetorri couldn't often do (and so I assume O'Keefe) - but you'd have thought a bowler with that record would be in the squad and play under certain conditions (ahead of Beer, Doherty, and that kid that played in England)... Lyon had some shabby treatment and deserves some loyalty now
I don't know how people can say O'Keefe is too flat, not attacking enough... 123 FC wickets @ 24... Doesn't seem like he has too many issues taking wickets to me.
Meh, Agar was young and had a decent start to his career. Only 20, lots of time for him to come back into calculations
http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2014/content/story/778929.html
Spinner Steve O'Keefe could finally be given a chance at Test cricket after being named in Australia's squad to play Pakistan in the UAE in October. O'Keefe was named as part of a 15-man Test squad that also includes allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who is yet to make his Test debut, while Phillip Hughes was included as the backup batsman and Glenn Maxwell as a spin-bowling allrounder.
...
Marsh's chances of playing alongside Watson might increase if the selectors wanted two spinners on the turning pitches in the UAE, in which case debutant O'Keefe could join Nathan Lyon. O'Keefe, 29, has long been overlooked by Australia's selectors despite his strong statistical record at domestic level, but he was the only logical selection for this trip after topping the Sheffield Shield wicket tally last summer with 41 victims at 20.43.
A left-arm orthodox bowler and useful lower-order batsman, O'Keefe would be the 14th spinner to play Test cricket for Australia since Shane Warne if he makes his debut in the UAE. He could be considered unfortunate to have been that far down the list given his first-class record of 128 wickets at 24.72, which is superior to several of his predecessors including fellow left-armers Xavier Doherty, Michael Beer and Ashton Agar.
O'Keefe's only previous international experience has come in the Twenty20 side, when he played seven matches from 2010 to 2011. However, he will have to compete with Maxwell for the position as second spinner behind Lyon after Maxwell was included having not played Test cricket since Australia's ill-fated tour of India early last year.
"We have picked Steve O'Keefe as the extra spinner for the Test tour," national selector Rod Marsh said. "We are unsure what pitch conditions we will encounter in the UAE but we need to be prepared to play two spinners. Steve was the highest wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield last season and we are confident he can perform at the next level.
How is the Show in any sort of contention as the second spinner??????
He failed badly in India as a spinning option.