Miller in whites?
Could David Miller have been clutch in whites?
You’ve seen him before. This year he’s David Miller. In past years he was Dudley Nourse in the 60s, Brian McMillan in the 90s, Jacques Rudolph in 2005, AB de Villiers at Centurion in 2016 and Dean Elgar when he carried his bat three times. Like his predecessors, Miller probably needs a business card that says, will play a clutch knock when required.
The 34-year-old has a knack for finding the right pieces to glue together an innings of substance from the rubble of wickets falling around him. His career has a long list of ‘clutch’ innings one can choose from.
T20 cricket is structured such that top-order batters shine. On average, batters in the top three score more runs because they have the best opportunity to face the most balls. This is why the IPL's Orange cap has been dominated by top-order batters more than any other position. This makes them the best candidates for the Man of the Match/Player of the Match awards.
And yet, Miller, who comes in at six, has the most Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards, 9 and 3, for the Proteas in the format. No batter has been more consistent for South Africa in T20Is.
Before playing on the Indiana Jones snake pit masquerading as a cricket pitch in Nassau County, New York, the last time he had arrested such a spiral towards disaster was at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
When he walked out to bat, the Proteas had crumbled to 24/4 after 11.5 overs. Batting on the toughest pitch he had ever played on, Miller scored an outstanding 101 off 116 to give his side a fighting chance. That innings was not enough to secure victory, but the one against the Netherlands in New York was enough. It might be one of his best knocks, on a tough surface.
To put things into context, when you convert his 59 off 51 against the Dutch to true stats, Miller had a true average of 36.21 and a true strike rate of 18.25. He overperformed by a country mile. The left-hander had a true average of 79.33 and a true strike rate of 9.44 on New York’s pitches.
In the ODI semifinal match he rescued, Miller was the only player in the South African team without a Test cap. Against the Netherlands, he was one of two batters who had never played the longest format. And yet, in both innings, he profiled as a batter with Test experience.
There is almost no photographic evidence of David Miller in four-day whites online. It’s almost as if he never played the format. None of which is by design from the left-hander or a lack of trying on his part. Like many others from his generation, Miller considered Test cricket the pinnacle and it was his Proteas dream. Being picked for the ODI side at 21 did not interfere with that ambition. He indicated his availability for selection in all formats. He did the same with the Dolphins.
Normally, I ask you to support the newsletter, but at the moment, I have a bigger ask, if you can spare a little bit, please contribute to my son’s cancer treatment and recovery. Many people have been generous, but we have not yet reached the full amount required. You can also help by sharing the link:
Between 2012 and 2015, was selected to play in seven four-day matches by the Dolphins. He scored three 50s and two centuries in 10 innings. Feeling that he needed more playing time in the format, Miller moved away from the Dolphins in 2016.
Nicky Boje had just been appointed the Knights head coach and attracted by the prospect of an exciting new challenge that took him out of his comfort zone, Miller switched to the Free State. In his first season there, he became the first domestic player in history to make a 100 in each of the 3 different formats in a domestic season.
That year, the Proteas selectors took notice and picked him for the South Africa A team that hosted India A. Miller starred in one of the three matches with an elegant 78 off 115 balls in the first innings and an aggressive 27 in the second to help SA A claim victory. After the match, Shukri Conrad expressed shock that Miller had not yet been considered for the Proteas.
In his second season with the Knights, 2017/18, Miller helped them reach the final of the Sunfoil 4-day series. Two games before the title decider, the left-hander had scooped the Player of the Match award thanks to an outstanding century that catapulted the Knights to 500. In the final, he followed up his first innings 34 with a belligerent half-century as he attempted to push his side to victory after a spectacular top-order collapse.
That was Sunfoil’s last season sponsoring 4-day cricket. It was also Miller’s final season in whites. After being overlooked for SA A and being snubbed by the Proteas, it dawned on him that he was chasing an unattainable dream. Despite his protestations with the bat, Miller had been pigeonholed as a white ball specialist, Mr “if it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park”, and not the well-rounded player he was.
His last stats from the 15 matches he played paint the picture of a player deserving of a shot in Test cricket. He had the best average over a similar number of matches compared to the top domestic players in the format.
Despite not picking him for Test cricket, CSA did not hesitate in denying him NOCs when the Proteas had an upcoming five-day series because he had indicated availability for all three formats. One time, he was forced to forgo a Big Bash League contract for the same reasons. He had planned to participate in the tournament while the Proteas were involved in a Test series, which he had not been selected for and was due back in South Africa in time for the ODI and T20 series.
When he walked away in 2018, Miller became a player South African cricket had seen before in Andrew Puttick, Rudi Second, Pite van Biljon, and Vaughan van Jaarsveld. Cricketers who played well, left good impressions on everyone but the selectors who never deemed them good enough to earn a Test cap.
If you found this interesting, please share it:
You can support Stumped! by leaving a tip:
Thanks for reading. Until next time… - CS