O’Keeffe urges Smith to bowl himself

Kerry O’Keeffe feels Australia already have an impressive part-timer capable of delivering some overs throughout the Ashes, meaning that trait should not influence the No 6 selection debate.

Former legspinner O’Keeffe has added his voice to the chorus of pundits calling for skipper Steve Smith to bowl himself more often.

Smith started his test career as a legspinning allrounder in 2010 but has since evolved into a captain that is reluctant to roll his arm over.

The world’s best batsman has bowled just 25.1 overs in tests since succeeding Michael Clarke as captain in 2015.

‘‘Steve Smith should bowl a lot more,’’ O’Keeffe said.

‘‘I know it’s been said of Steve Smith a lot. He could set a field that protects him a bit.

‘‘He bowls wicket-taking balls. I’d encourage him to get working in the nets.

‘‘But he can bowl eight-10 overs of legspin and might just winkle a couple out.’’

Iconic tweaker Shane Warne has made similar suggestions over the past year – but they’re likely to fall on deaf ears. Smith made it clear last month he wants to focus on breaking England with a mountain of runs in the five-test series.

‘‘I certainly could bowl if need be. I’d prefer not to,’’ he said.

‘‘Bowling legspin, it takes a lot of time. For me to get a rhythm that I need, it’s about bowling for so long and I like to focus on my batting.

‘‘And when I’m not batting, I like to watch the nets and ensure guys are training the right way – watching them prepare and giving them advice.

‘‘Then I obviously have to do my catching work.’’