Beg, borrow, even steal – Sydney Sixers allrounder Stephen O’Keefe is prepared to do anything to get fast bowler Mitchell Starc in his team for Saturday’s Big Bash League final.
The 21-year-old left-armer has been named 12th man for the fourth Test between Australia and India and, rather than carrying the drinks on day five at the Adelaide Oval, O’Keefe wants Starc lining up at the WACA Ground against the Perth Scorchers.
Starc ripped through the Scorchers’ top order at the SCG last week, taking 3-28 in the Sixers’ one-run win.
And O’Keefe believes Sydney would get a big psychological edge with Starc bowling to the team he terrorised.
“We’ll get him somehow,” O’Keefe told AAP.
“Grab him, smuggle him back over there to get him to play because he’s bowling that well at the moment.
“If we could get him, especially on that fast WACA wicket, he could create havoc.
“We saw that in the Test, we saw that at home on a wicket that probably wasn’t doing as much as the Test and he was still extremely effective. If we could get him, that’d be super.”
O’Keefe said he was disappointed to be overlooked by Australian selectors for the upcoming T20 internationals against India starting on February 1 but a win in the Big Bash League would go some way to easing the pain.
“We’ve worked so hard to get here – we want to win the thing,” he said.
“I know how special it was when we won the domestic one (2008-09) … it’ll mean a lot to the boys.”
The other player O’Keefe would be delighted to have taking to the field for the Sixers is allrounder Shane Watson.
The burly Watson hasn’t played at all this summer due to hamstring and calf injuries but is apparently close to making a comeback.
If that return occurs in Saturday’s final, O’Keefe is one who won’t be complaining.
“I’d almost take him at 50 per cent fit,” he said.
“The way that bloke hits the ball, he’s a dead-set freak.
“If he thinks the best way for his cricket is to come back and play for us, I know the boys would be extremely accepting and he’d only boost our side.”
