David Miller's 82nd cap

And the words JP Duminy would have told David Miller...

Milestone caps are a big deal, and I am making a big deal out of David Miller’s 82nd T20 cap for the Proteas.

"He is an absolute team-man. He is always willing to serve everyone in his team. He is an uncomplicated guy who is fun to be around…" JP Duminy on David Miller.

In an ideal world, in my ideal world, JP Duminy would have been the one to give David Miller his 82nd T20 cap, the cap that saw him become the most capped T20 player for the Proteas.

My reasons are very simple, uncomplicated, you might call them. JP was the previous holder of the record, with the 81 T20 matches that he played for the Proteas. Not many players get to play so many T20 innings for their country, only about 24 players have played 80 or more T20Is for their nation. And when it comes to the Proteas, only 3 players feature in the top 50 list of most T20Is - AB (78), JP (81) and David Miller (84*).

So, it’s kind of a big deal, a big deal that JP probably understands more than most. As he puts it, to play so many matches, it’s less about the player and more about being given the opportunities to do so. There are ridiculously talented players, good players that never get the opportunity, for a number of reasons.

These opportunities are something that David Miller doesn’t take lightly. He has always wanted to play for South Africa, it has always been his dream to do so. This is something that JP knows something about too. Growing up, JP’s great ambition was to represent his country in cricket, so they also have that in common.

And so, with each cap David Miller gets another chance to live his dream.

"From an early age, David was always very focused on the higher honors that he wanted to achieve,” says Sarel Erwee, a lifelong friend and fellow cricketer.

I suppose it would have been easy for those around him to envision David Miller playing international cricket, he was something of a prodigy at the sport. This might not be a surprise to many because he comes from a cricketing family, his father was a club cricketer, and went out of his way to support his son’s dreams. He probably scored his first boundary while he was still in diapers.

Anyway, David was one of those kids whose star started to shine brightly at an early age, he is on record as one of the youngest boys to play first team cricket for Maritzburg College, he did so whilst in Grade 9. Nonetheless, his talent is not something that he took for granted, he worked as hard as the next person, if not harder, to achieve his dream.

“David had the talent, obviously, but he has also always put in the required hard work. Always goes above and beyond,” says Sarel.

He hasn’t changed much in this respect. If anything he works on his craft even more than he did as a youngster. Pays attention to even the littlest details, including paying particular attention to his equipment. In fact, he sets the benchmark for those around him.

"David is an unbelievably talented and gifted player, with an ability to do some amazing things, especially in the shorter format," says JP Duminy. "He is also one of the hardest workers on his game, whether it's fielding, batting, working out or just the technical aspect of his game - he is up there with one of the hardest workers of the game."

However, while it is his dream job - literally a dream come true for these guys - it’s not an easy gig. Being a professional athlete is a really tough gig - it’s quite painful, both physically and emotionally, and having played international cricket for 15 years, JP understands that. It’s not always going to smell like roses. He has seen it all, everything from physical injuries to loss of form to the loneliness of the sport to having people who have no sporting bone in them tell you how he should do his job.

And through the good and difficult times, David does it with a smile. Maybe because it’s not just about living his dream. Maybe because he also takes great pride in being of service to his country and his teammates. This is one of their shared values, him and JP Duminy, being of service to your country, your teammates and your environment.

"One thing about David is that he is all about being of service to others, whether it is teammates or friends," said Sarel.

“His greatest leadership attribute is that he is a servant, and that is one of the strongest, if not the strongest attributes to have in a leadership position. It's to serve your environment," said JP.

Shared values make it very easy for people to communicate with each other. It is therefore no surprise that the two have shared great memories while playing together. And not many people know better ways to encourage Miller as he continues his T20 journey in South African colors than JP Duminy.

"He is the guy that I enjoyed batting with the most. We understood one another really well, we knew what to say to one another to encourage each other... we knew what to say to one another in any situation,” says JP.

And I suppose that it is little surprise that they have set a few partnership records at a few venues. Their 5th wicket partnership was always one that the Proteas could depend on.

JP has also been there from the start of Miller’s T20 career. 2010, again in the West Indies - a couple of days later Miller also made his ODI debut for SA. In the match, David Miller scored a modest 33 at a SR of 126.93. T20 cricket has come a long way since then, so much has changed in how players approach the format, and David Miller has changed with it. He is now one of the most sought after players of the formats. And of all the people who played in that match, only David Miller played alongside JP Duminy in his last T20 match in 2019.

JP has been part of Miller’s journey for the greater part of his T20 career as much as Miller has been a part of JP’s, both as a friend and as a teammate. They have watched each other evolve, grow and define themselves, and helped each other along the way. JP has seen Miller grow from an inexperienced youngster into a player with a deeper understanding of his game and a leader within the squad.

So, the 82nd cap presents a kind of full circle moment for Miller. I love the symbolism of that. Also the symbolism of JP passing on the baton, in a way saying to him, “it’s up to you guys and others to come after you to take things further than our generation of players did.”

But, JP didn’t give David Miller his 82nd cap, because we don’t live in an ideal world. However, I did the next best thing. I got in touch with JP and we gossiped about David Miller. JP Duminy is very optimistic about his friend and former teammate’s future prospects.

"Dave has been around for years, he has been around for a while, played with different generations - and he is only 31 - so he has a lot to offer in the dressing-room, because he learnt a lot about his path and his way going forward,” says JP.

And when I asked JP to give me the speech he might have given David Miller, had he been the one to give him his 82nd cap, this is what JP had to say: "Records are meant to be broken, it's not about the individual, it's about being given the opportunity to break records. I am overjoyed that you have achieved this milestone, that you have taken the opportunities that have come your way that have led you to this moment. You deserve all the praise and accolades that come your way. You are a great servant for your country and the game, and I have no doubt that you are going to do some amazing things. Not only in T20 cricket, but for your country. You still have a long way to go, keep going."

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