O'Keefe champing at the bit for SL Test

Spinner Steve O’Keefe is ready and raring to go should his services be called upon for Australia’s first Test against Sri Lanka later this month.

O’Keefe endured a longer-than-usual break at the end of the domestic season after breaking a finger playing for NSW in the Sheffield Shield and now he can’t wait to get back into action when Australia begin their first hit out of the tour on Thursday – a two-day informal intra-squad session, with several rising stars from Cricket Australia's National Performance Squad.

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"I felt ready maybe a month ago, " O’Keefe said in Colombo on Monday. "I missed the end of the Shield season so I had plenty of time to get fit and sort of go away from the game.

"Now I’m hungry and ready to play and from what I’ve seen so far it’s going to be tough work, but it’s an exciting challenge and a beautiful place to be in Sri Lanka."

O’Keefe said he wasn’t sure what his role would be during the three-Test series, but the left-arm spinner is confident he’ll be ready if or when his services are called upon.

"Steve Smith always talks about being adaptable and assessing the conditions as quickly as possible,” he said.  

"In these conditions it’s going to spin a bit more than home, but that poses a whole bunch of questions in itself: how quick you bowl, what shape you put on the ball.

"We’ve got some really good support structures with the coaches and 16 days before the first game, so there’s plenty of time to try a few things out and put myself in a good place.

"If we need two spinners, obviously myself and ‘Gaz’ (Nathan Lyon) are here and we’ll be ready to go."

O’Keefe’s last experience in subcontinental conditions came during Australia A’s tour of India last year, when he reclaimed his position as Australia’s second-choice long-form spinner after topping the wicket tally across two first-class matches, picking up 8-163 and 6-108 – including the prized scalp of India superstar Virat Kohli.

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The 31-year-old says he’ll take some important lessons from that tour into the Sri Lanka series.

"From last year playing in the ‘A’ series there are periods in the game that can be drawn out and quite tough and doesn’t seem like much is happening, but you’ve just got to contain it during those times,” he said.

"And when the wicket does break up and present an opportunity where it spins, it can almost be even more challenging.

"You’ve got to stick to things you do well, for me that’s attacking the stumps and being accurate and making sure every ball the batter has to answer a question.

"Over here it can be quite unforgiving if you get it wrong, (if you offer) a bit of width or get too full these guys will punish you, they’re very good at home."

Australia coach Darren Lehmann believes O’Keefe’s value comes from that ability to contain opposition batsmen, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon will play more of an attacking role.

"O’Keefe is probably more of a holding spinner if you like, stump to stump,’’ Lehmann told Fairfax.

"Lyon is more of a traditional off-spinner. He is probably more of an attacking spinner.

"He bowls his best when he is actually bowling maidens as well."

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O’Keefe will also be paying particularly close attention to his opposite number in Sri Lanka’s Test XI, veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who claimed his 300th Test wicket in Durham in May at the age of 38.

"I really admire the way he goes about his business," O’Keefe said. "I remember the last trip before we went to Dubai I watched a lot of his bowling against Pakistan.

"He’s a short guy and not a massive spinner of the ball but what he does is subtle variations and his control is outstanding and immaculate.

"The guy has taken 300 Test wickets all over the world and he’s had success when he’s come to Australia.

"He’s a guy I look at, there’s plenty footage around here to look at. I’ll stick to what I do best but also learn from (players like Herath) as much as possible."

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Before arriving in Sri Lanka, O’Keefe fine-tuned his skills during a week-long stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai alongside Joe Burns, Peter Nevill and Jackson Bird, to prepare in the heat of the northern hemisphere's summer and in conditions mimicking those Australia's 15-man Test squad are set to encounter.

"It was a really good opportunity," O’Keefe added. "A lot of the main guys had already been in the West Indies and been able to acclimatise and play on slower wickets.

"So for myself, Jackson Bird, Peter Nevill and Joe Burns it was really good opportunity to acclimatise and get used to what will probably be similar conditions here in Sri Lanka.

"I hadn’t got a game in for four months so it was great to get on the paddock, get 90 overs in on these sorts of conditions, bowl 20 overs in a game scenario.

"It’s invaluable experience that puts you in a good place when we have to turn up here and hit the ground tunning."