Left-armer says he's a better cricketer than he was 12 months ago and is disappointed he's not going to India on the 'A' tour
O'Keefe not turning away from Test dream
NSW Blues spinner Steve O'Keefe remains confident he can still perform at the highest level despite his omission from Australia A's tour to India, the precursor to October's Test series against Pakistan.
Three spinners were selected in the four-day squad that will play two matches against India A next month – Queensland leggie Mitch Swepson and left-arm orthodox spinners Jon Holland and Ashton Agar.
With Nathan Lyon a certainty to travel to the UAE to face Pakistan, the 'A' tour has become effectively a selection trial for the two-Test series, but O'Keefe doesn't believe his chances are completely dashed.
The 33-year-old needs only to cast his mind back to last September when he was a shock call-up for the second Test against Bangladesh having been overlooked when the initial squad was named.
In that match he picked up two wickets and out-bowled fellow left-arm spinner Agar, who played in both matches, while Lyon ripped the hosts apart with 13 wickets.
O'Keefe can also point to the 12 wickets he captured in the first Test against India last year, which led to a 333-run thumping in Pune that was Australia's first win in Asia in six years.
While disappointed he's not on the 'A' tour, O'Keefe still believes the chances will be there for higher honours should he continue his prolific output in first-class cricket, which has seen him take 265 wickets at 24.55 in 76 matches.
"I would have loved to have gone (to India) and I think I would've performed really well over there given I've done that in the past," O'Keefe told cricket.com.au.
"You can read into that (omission from the 'A' tour), you can go 'he's done', the same as when I didn't get a contract or things that have happened in the past.
"I know I'm good enough to go over and play in subcontinental conditions, I've proven that, and if I'm producing the goods at the right time then I think the opportunities are still there.
"If you're still playing for your state then surely you're a big chance to play for Australia.
"Disappointed I'm not going, I would have loved to have gone.
"The more experience you get when you go to those places you only get better and better.
"I feel like I've learnt a lot and would have loved to learn more but I wasn't picked. What can you do about it?"
The Test squad for the Pakistan series is expected to be named at the conclusion of the 'A' tour, which doesn't leave much time for O'Keefe to impress the national selectors.
O'Keefe's earliest match would be NSW's first JLT One-Day Cup fixture against Western Australia in Perth on September 18, one week after the 'A' tour finishes in Vizag.
So, with no cricket between now and when the UAE tour squad is expected to be named, O'Keefe is hoping his track record in the subcontinent and his experience from the corresponding tour four years ago will hold him in good stead.
Image Id: EF1ED9F4312C41BEB4D664BFA4A6EBE1 Image Caption: Dean Jones presented O'Keefe with his Baggy Green in Dubai // GettyO'Keefe made his Test debut in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai in 2014, finishing with match figures of 4-219 in a 221-run thumping.
He was dropped for the second Test, but when O'Keefe looks back on that baptism of fire, he has 'no doubt in his mind' those experiences would prove invaluable when Australia travels to the Emirates.
"I remember walking away after the second Test and I'd already come up with a game plan for if I had to bowl in those conditions again, against them or against subcontinental players," O'Keefe said.
"I used it first in Sri Lanka (in 2016) then it was in India (last year).
"I think I've got a pretty good method of how to bowl over there and how to bowl to their batters. It's tough but I think I know how to bowl in those conditions.
"I'd love more experience to be able to do that. I haven't been given this one, but that's happened a lot over my career where blokes have been picked ahead or jumped past me.
"It's fine. I'll just go back to doing what I'm doing and if I can keep producing the same numbers I always have then hopefully selectors will see that and reward it."
At 33, with this latest setback, a chequered past and the emergence of promising spinners in NSW, one might think O'Keefe could be close to calling it a day.
But he says that's not the case.
"That has never crossed my mind," he said.
"You always think you're still good enough, you're probably even getting better as you get older and other people get opportunities.
"Doubt does creep in but I know I'm a better cricketer than I was 12 months ago.
"I know performance-wise I'm still punching out good numbers.
"Can I contribute? Absolutely. Is the body great? Absolutely.
"Even if I wasn't a Blue and I was still playing cricket I'd still have aspirations to play."
Australia A Tour of India
Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth
Schedule
One-day fixtures in Vijayawada
17 August v India A
19 August v South Africa A
21 August v India B
23 August v India A
25 August v South Africa A
27 August v India B
29 August - Quad-Series Final
Australia A four-day squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain
Four-day fixtures in Vizag
2-5 September v India A
8-11 September v India A