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Lyon still the No.1 man, says O'Keefe

NSW tweakers speak about their national selection prospects

Despite spinning New South Wales to victory yesterday and being Australia’s most successful tweaker in the recent Test series against Pakistan, Steve O’Keefe believes he remains behind incumbent Test spinner Nathan Lyon in the national selection queue.

And O’Keefe, who made his Test debut in the first game of the two-match series in the UAE but was dropped for the second, may not even be able to find a berth in the Blues’ line-up for their upcoming Bupa Sheffield Shield match with Lyon set to return.

New South Wales’ next game will be against Queensland at the seamer-friendly Gabba, and with Lyon available for selection having sat out this week’s triumph in Adelaide due to the birth of his second child, there is a chance that only one spinner will be included.

And while O’Keefe’s stunning spell of 5-24 on the final day in Adelaide, coupled with the four wickets he took in his Test debut compared to Lyon’s series haul of three, he could consider himself unlucky if he misses the final XI.

But the 28-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner defers to his younger but more experienced Australian and NSW teammate and claims Lyon should remain the preferred spin option heading into the upcoming four-Test series against India.

“Nathan Lyon is the best spinner in the country,” O’Keefe said in the wake of the Blues’ 168-run victory yesterday.

“He is learning and getting better and better.

“Nathan, the way that he bowls and the shape, is beautiful for Australian conditions.”

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Lyon, who captured his 100th Test wicket during last summer’s Ashes series making him the most successful Australian finger spinner of recent times, has taken 11 wickets at 66.73 in five Tests since that series ended in January.

After the series in the UAE, which was played on dry, slow wickets, he will be looking forward to returning to the faster, bouncier conditions on offer at the Gabba where the opening Test against India will also be played at the start of next month.

Brisbane was among Shane Warne’s favourite venues because of the assistance it offered pace and spin bowlers alike, and since Warne retired from Test cricket at the end of the 2006-07 summer Lyon has been the third-most successful Test bowler at the ground with 15 wickets at 21.87.

Only Mitchell Johnson (28 at 21.08) and Peter Siddle (16 at 33.31) have enjoyed more success at the Gabba in that period.

Lyon acknowledged he was under pressure to perform given the difference that Pakistan’s spinners were able to make during the UAE series but added that he has been working on honing his game with his long-time mentor and spin coach John Davidson.

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He also worked with Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker, former Sri Lankan off-spinner Muthiah Muralidaran, in Colombo earlier this year and in the UAE prior to the recent Test series where Muralidaran was employed as a consultant coach with the Australian team.

"You're always under pressure," Lyon told reporters in Sydney today when asked if he was feeling the heat from his NSW and new Australian teammate.

"You're playing international cricket at the highest level so if people aren't putting you under pressure you aren't improving.

"It's about how you handle that and how you bounce back.

"I'm confident in my skill to get the job done no matter what.

“It's unfortunate it didn't happen in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but you have to pay credit to (Pakistan's) spin bowling.

"So I'm looking forward to coming out here in Australia and putting in a good performance for NSW leading into the Test series."

"I'm definitely working on a few different things in the nets here especially reflecting on the Pakistan series.

"So I'm always learning and I'm looking forward to making a few changes here and there."