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Whatever off-field behaviour has seen Steve O’Keefe run afoul of the Australian selectors, it must be put aside for the sake of the Test team.
The Aussies may have toppled the giants of Test cricket on their home soil, but a victory over South Africa does not guarantee they won’t be ambushed by Pakistan on dustbowls in the UAE in October.
Pakistan are the most unpredictable outfit in the game, capable of defeating far better-credentialed opponents.
In 2012, England was atop the Test rankings when they ventured to the UAE to battle the Pakistanis.
A month later they flew home dejected after being flogged 3-0.
It was suggested at the time that England had underestimated their lowly-ranked opponent.
Australia cannot afford to repeat such a mistake, particularly given Pakistan are a better team now than they were two years ago.
The Aussies must nail their selections.
With Ryan Harris expected to miss the tour because of his impending knee surgery, Australia should consider playing two specialist spinners on the dry tracks typical of the UAE.
Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson and one of James Pattinson, Jackson Bird or Mitchell Starc could offer them sufficient pace options in such a scenario.
Nathan Lyon seems to finally have locked down the first choice spinner spot, after being mistreated by the selectors in the past.
The obvious man to partner him, based on not just form but also variety, would be left arm finger spinner Stephen O’Keefe.
The New South Welshmen has been the standout spinner in the Sheffield Shield competition for the past few summers.
This season he has been in sublime touch, snaring 38 wickets at 20 to be the most potent bowler in the Shield.
Last summer he pillaged 24 wickets at 22.
It is an open secret that O’Keefe is not well liked by some powerbrokers in the Australian camp.
Apparently he has been too outspoken and is viewed as disrespectful.
Yet both of those adjectives have been used in connection with David Warner and he continues to be picked in all three forms of the game.
The difference of course is that Warner is a proven international match winner and the most marketable player in the country.
That tends to earn you a bit of leeway. O’Keefe is clearly bemused by the situation.
He said in March last year that he had got NSW chairman of selectors David Freedman to seek feedback from Cricket Australia on his position.
This approach had not proved fruitful.
“I can’t complain. I certainly don’t feel bitter about anything,” O’Keefe said at the time.
“But a good reason on how you can improve would be nice to hear, so I can go away with my game and work on it.
“I’d just like to know whether they think it’s an attitude thing, a skill thing.
“I’m willing to have that conversation. Now I haven’t got too much feedback, I might just ring (a selector) and just ask ‘what would you prefer to see me doing?’.”
O’Keefe hasn’t always been on the nose with Cricket Australia. In 2010 and 2011 he looked on track to get generous opportunities at international level.
He made seven appearances for the Aussie T20 side, performing solidly, and turned in an eye-catching effort for Australia A against the strong England touring side in 2010.
O’Keefe troubled all the English batsmen he bowled to en route to returning 4-88. He also showcased his all-round abilities with scores of 66 and 27.
Yet that is the last time he has played for Australia A. At some point in the meantime he put the wrong noses out of joint.
Whatever happened, whatever was said, it needs to be forgotten.
O’Keefe is in the prime of his career, having recently turned 29. He deserves, at the very least, to make the squad for the tour against Pakistan.