Kerry O’Keefe Apologises After Insulting Mayank Agarwal On Air
Dec 26, 2018 at 8:00 PM
Mayank Agarwal made the most of his much-awaited debut, scoring a sublime fifty in the ongoing third Test against Australia in Melbourne. It took him quite some time to finally get a chance in the team and he grabbed the opportunity with both the hands.
Despite facing a hostile bowling early on, he showed remarkable patience and bravery to showcase his immense potential. The right-hander then went on to reap the rewards for his bravery in the form of a stunning fifty on his debut. However, before the game began, he was a victim of a humiliating comment from former Australia cricketer Kerry o’Keefe.
O’Keefe, who played 24 Tests and two ODIs for Australia between 1971 and 1977, ridiculed Mayank Agarwal’s triple century in India’s premier domestic tournament Ranji Trophy. The cricketer-turned-commentator reportedly said that the 27-year-old “apparently got his triple hundred against railway canteen staff”. He also added the bowlers from the said team were “chefs and waiters”. He had made the comments on air while sharing the commentary box with former Australia cricketers, Shane Warne, and Mark Waugh.
Reports also suggest that Waugh took a jibe at Agarwal too, saying his first-class average of 50 (49.98) can be equated to 40 in Australia.
But later, O’Keefe issued an apology, insisting that he didn’t want to belittle the first-class competition of India.
“I was mentioning the runs Agarwal got in first-class cricket in India and there’s been a reaction. There was no way I was demeaning the standard, it was tongue in cheek. There are lots of runs scored so apologies if anyone out there took offence,” O’Keefe was quoted as saying by news.com.au.
Agarwal had a sensational 2017-18 domestic season. He amassed 1160 runs in 13 innings of the Ranji Trophy. In November 2017, he scored his maiden triple century in first-class cricket when he slammed an unbeaten 304 against Maharashtra. The knock came off 494 balls that included 28 fours and four sixes.
Meanwhile, India finished day one of the third Test on 215 for 2 with Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli unbeaten at the crease.