Bowlers to bounce back: O'Keefe

Australia’s spin bowling ‘pink ball specialist’ Steve O’Keefe has predicted the Adelaide Oval pitch for this week’s historic day-night Test will yield a result and will undoubtedly narrow the yawning gulf between bat and ball that has characterised this international summer to date.

Ground staff at the famous venue have already confirmed additional grass will be left on the pitch for the Test that starts on Friday to help ensure greater longevity for the pink ball that will be used for the first time in a five-day fixture.

O’Keefe – who after Western Australia seamer Jason Behrendorff has taken more wickets in day-night Sheffield Shield matches using the pink ball than any other bowler – says that additional coverage of grass will ensure bowlers will belatedly gain some benefit in the upcoming Test.

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O'Keefe claimed two second-innings Redbacks wickets in the day-night Shield round this summer // Getty Images

The first two Tests of the trans-Tasman series in Brisbane and Perth have been overwhelmingly dominated by the bat, with bowlers unable to generate swing through the air or movement off the pitch allowing batters to score with impunity.

The teams’ combined match aggregates of 1672 (Perth) and 1432 (Brisbane) represent the highest totals plundered in the first two Tests of an Australia since the runs-fest generated by Bill Ponsford, Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe at the start of the 1924-25 Ashes series. 

But O’Keefe - whose proficiency with the pink ball has seen him added to Australia’s 13-man squad for the final Test of this Trans-Tasman Series as a potential back-up for frontline spinner Nathan Lyon – is convinced that imbalance is about to be redressed.

The 30-year-old left-arm orthodox was part of the New South Wales team that thumped South Australia in a day-night Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide a month ago, with the pitch used for that match expected to be replicated for the inaugural pink ball Test.

"I think that’s a result wicket out there, without a doubt," O’Keefe said today upon visiting Adelaide Oval, the playing surface of which was inaccessible to either team as the clean-up from last Saturday night’s gargantuan AC-DC rock concert continued.

"For guys to make runs I think it’s going to be significantly harder than what we’ve seen in the last two Tests.

"I think the ball will nip around a fair bit with that extra grass coverage.

"That certainly doesn’t happen out there a lot (in Adelaide), but due to the pink ball’s characteristics it swung a lot as well so I think that will be prevalent the whole game.

"And it also spun from ball one (in the recent Sheffield Shield match), although it was even turn and it wasn’t drastic.

"But here in the past you would have to wait for the wicket to slow up or break up to get that spin, this year it had a bit more of that extra grab because of the thatchy grass.

"So this year it was a little bit different to what I’m used, and if you combine that with playing under lights it’s a completely different Adelaide Oval to when you’re playing during the day."

While SA’s batsmen struggled to cope with Mitchell Starc’s express swing and the seam bowling of Josh Hazlewood with the new pink ball, as as well as the spin of Lyon and O’Keefe, Australia captain Steve Smith found few difficulties scoring 67 and 152 in his team’s innings. 

WATCH: Starc scorchers Redbacks on day one

O’Keefe believes that while players the calibre of Smith and his contemporary rival in the Black Caps’ line-up Kane Williamson will be able to comfortably handle the dual challenge of pink ball and twilight batting, the unique nature of the Adelaide pitch will provide selectors with food for thought.

However, it seems unlikely Australia will opt for two spinners when the pre-match debate has focused largely on the amount of assistance the new-look ball will provide for pace bowlers.

Which means O’Keefe is likely to be on a plane out of Adelaide on Thursday evening to take his place in the Blues’ team for their upcoming Shield match against Queensland that is scheduled to begin in Sydney on Friday.

The spinner, who played his sole Test to date against Pakistan in Dubai a year ago, remains hopeful he will be named for his maiden appearance for Australia on home soil, partly because of the historic nature of the day-night match that has drawn global interest and generated significant ticket sales.

"It will be a long wait to see if I’m in that eleven," O’Keefe said.

"Adelaide Oval is my favourite ground to play cricket on.

"The sun seems to shine a bit brighter here, the outfield’s that bit greener and the wicket – or the way I interpret it – is a bit wider, harder and looks like it’s going to spin.

"I can’t really comment on the other grounds (that have the capability to host a day-night Test in Australia) but from what I hear, this is probably the best ground.

"It (the pitch) still does a bit - it’s going to nip around at night, depending on the dew it may slide on, it may spin or it may not.

"But I think in regards to the ball holding up, leaving that bit of extra grass on certainly did help when we had to play here (last month) and kept the ball in as good a nick as possible.

"Being able to get the ball to reverse (swing), we’ve been able to do that here, and also getting the ball to move off the seam - when it’s hard, it does.

"And it still swings, so in my opinion this is the best ground to play with the pink ball." 

WATCH: Steve O'Keefe on the pink ball