Following his comments on television that angered the Indian team and fans, former Australian leg-spinner Kerry O’Keeffe has given an explanation for his words in an open letter on foxsports.com.au .
He wrote, "I am coming to terms with how negatively those words have been interpreted. That interpretation is not who I am. It is not what I represent. My style as a commentator is to attempt to find a quirky view to lighten up some of the serious analysis.”
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He added, “When I made a remark about Indian first-class batting averages within their domestic cricket competition being made against a "canteen" bowling attack, I was being entirely tongue in cheek. I was certainly not disrespecting Indian cricket, where I toured as a schoolboy and for which I have the greatest admiration as a cricketing nation.”
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O’Keeffe wrote, "I accept that some fans may not always relate to my sense of humour - but missing the mark on a joke between overs is vastly different to what I've been accused of on Twitter and in some sections of the media in recent days.
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"I pride myself on doing extensive research before a match and when I stumbled over the names of Pujara and Jadeja on Day Four, I took a swipe at myself for getting them wrong.”
He said, "There was no intention to ridicule those two wonderful players and I am horrified by any suggestion to the contrary. I had spent months researching and analysing these two players and when the moment arrived, I stuffed it up. The joke was on me."
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