"I feel really fulfilled": Australia's Steve O'Keefe likely to conclude BBL career
Jan 11, 2024
Sydney [Australia], January 11 : Australia's veteran all-rounder Steve O'Keefe could play his final Big Bash League game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
The 39-year-old could be playing the final season of his professional career but with the Sydney Sixers still in contention to play in the final, O'Keefe's farewell could extend for some time.
In the past, O'Keefe has expressed his desire to retire from cricket but unlike the previous time, the veteran spinner is serious about drawing curtains on his career.
"It will be very hard to play on next year so this could be my last game at the SCG. It's not 100 per cent confirmed, and I'll make sure the right people know that at the right time," he said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"I've had a great time playing it and now the expectation around your training and your body, committing to cricket 12 months of the year is probably something that's a bit past me at the moment. I feel really fulfilled with what I've done career-wise and very, very happy. I've had a lot of fun this year and am certainly still enjoying it," he added.
O'Keefe is the third-highest wicket-taker for the Sixers in the BBL, with 94 scalps to his name at an average of 23.40 and a paltry economy rate of 6.69.
In the current BBL season, he hasn't been effective in terms of taking wickets, as he has three in his kitty after playing six games. But he has been able to compensate for it by conceding at 6.65 an over.
With his playing days coming to an end, O'Keefe revealed what he is looking to achieve after hanging his boots.
"I'd like to help out, think spin bowling is somewhere I can help," he said. "It's something I'm passionate about," O'Keefe said.
