O'Keefe better for long apprenticeship

Having toiled hard in first-class cricket for more than a decade, Steve O'Keefe could well have been given a fair crack in Australia's Test side long before now.

But the 31-year-old believes he is wiser and wilier for his extra time playing Sheffield Shield cricket.

O'Keefe's successful partnership with Nathan Lyon at state level delivered NSW Blues the state title in 2013-14 under current skipper Steve Smith.

As Australia prepare to play two spinners in the third Test against West Indies starting at the SCG on Sunday for the first time at home in a decade, O'Keefe is confident the duo can have an impact on the international scene too.

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"I enjoy playing with Nathan, he is a humble, lovely guy who I admire a lot and fingers crossed we can get that opportunity again," O'Keefe said on Friday.

"The year we won the Shield we had some good performances and to play two spinners in a Shield final is a pretty cool thing to happen I guess. There are a couple of situations we have bowled the majority of the overs and enjoyed going each side of the bat."

O'Keefe has taken 191 wickets at 24.78 in 58 first class matches. His sole Test came in Australia's 227-run loss to Pakistan in Dubai in October last year when he claimed 2-107 and 2-112.

The stakes are even higher for O'Keefe this week with a tour of New Zealand and then Sri Lanka in the offing later this year.

He knows he won't usurp Lyon as Australia's No.1 spinner but can put forward a compelling case for a twin-spin attack in the future on an SCG wicket expected to take turn.

"Nathan is number one and he is a genius at the moment and he has earnt that right and I admire it," O'Keefe said.

"I want to work with him and because he is such a nice guy, he his always forthcoming with ways to improve my bowling and the team and that is something that makes me feel comfortable whenever I am around this squad.

"I'm no guarantee to play, you can understand why they play so many quicks around Australia but to be thought of as a second spinner I take that as a bit of a feather in the cap."

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