Steve O'Keefe

A genuine left-arm spinner, Steve O’Keefe is a professional Australian cricketer who is considered one of the most unfortunate men in Australian cricket in the post-Shane Warne era. Considered as a domestic legend, O’Keefe arrived at the domestic scene in 2005 and scalped over 300 wickets before he drew curtains on a magnificent first-class career with New South Wales.

After debuting in a T20I match against Pakistan in July 2010, he was sidelined due to the lack of consistency in the shortest format. Topping the Sheffield Shield bowling charts in 2014 with 41 scalps to his name, he was called up to the Aussie’s Test squad for the UAE tour against Pakistan in 2014. With a handful of international games under his belt, a calf injury and a broken finger saw him out of contention.

O’Keefe’s career highlight came against India in Pune when he spun a web around the Indian batters to become the most successful foreign spinner ever in a single Test match. He picked up 12 wickets to beat the record of compatriot Jason Krejza who claimed 12-358 in Nagpur.

Nicknamed “Sok”, O’Keefe started his Big Bash League (BBL) with the Sydney Sixers in the inaugural edition and still continues to play for the Franchise. At 36 years of age, his continued presence in the squad offers a wealth of experience and guidance to the young spinners in the Sixers squad.

(As of November 2021)