+

A frank word on Gujarat Titans batter David Miller

David Miller has a tendency to go long spells without producing much at the crease only for the Pietermaritzburg-born player to burst into life every so often and treat the world to a swashbuckling knock. This trend was once again proved after Miller smashed 94 off 51 to hand the Gujarat Titans an important win […]

David Miller has a tendency to go long spells without producing much at the crease only for the Pietermaritzburg-born player to burst into life every so often and treat the world to a swashbuckling knock. This trend was once again proved after Miller smashed 94 off 51 to hand the Gujarat Titans an important win over the defending IPL champions, the Chennai Super Kings.


It was indeed a thrilling win that was powered by Miller’s devastating hitting as he impressively wheeled the willow time and time again to flay the CSK attack to every part of the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Fans who have followed the South African’s career over the last 12 years would have been in no doubt that this was Miller at his belligerent best during the nail-biting victory over the 2021 Champions. There is, however, always a tinge of sadness that inevitably accompanies any of Miller’s match-winning knocks given that when he first started out on the international scene in 2010, the 32-year-old was tipped to be one of the next generational talents. Alas, over a decade has passed since and it feels, to a certain degree, like Miller has perhaps underperformed during the large majority of his career.


Those aren’t easy words to write and in life, irrespective of the profession one finds themselves in, facing up to regrets and unfilled potential has the ability to cause ceaseless inner turmoil when the time comes to look back. In other words, you need to be certain when making such statements given the gravity of the claim. Additionally, it should be pointed out that you’re invariably on a slippery slope when deciding who has maximized their talents and who hasn’t but in Miller’s case, there is overwhelming evidence that the South African hasn’t reached the heights initially set out for him. Here, we pick over the bones in order to find out why.
The test of time
The most glaring omission from the 32-year-old’s CV is that he hasn’t ever been called up to the South African Test squad since first turning out for the Proteas in 2010 during a T20 fixture against the West Indies in Antigua. In essence, that is unforgivable considering how much natural talent Miller has and how effective he could have been down the order for South Africa in the longest format. Perhaps the best comparison to make is to focus on Adam Gilchrist’s role in the great Australian team of the late 1990s and early 2000s and how quickly the Australian was able to take the game away from the opposition owing to his aggressive batting. There was a similar hope that Miller could emulate Gilchrist’s role as the enforcer who bats with the tail but it now seems a foregone conclusion that the 32-year-old will retire without having ever pulled on the whites for South Africa.

Of course, Miller has played in the shorter formats for South Africa and enjoyed varying levels of success but when you take into account that the batsman hasn’t had the distraction of Test cricket to focus on and has been able to purely hone his skills in white-ball cricket, you’re left with the unmistakable impression yet again that his career numbers are still not where they should be as he averages 40.73 in ODIs and 31.89 in T20s. Those aren’t bad numbers but similarly, they also don’t grab your attention either.
What the IPL giveth, it can also take away
At this stage, it’s worth pointing out that despite missing out on national honours, Miller has made an exceptionally lucrative career out of the IPL and has turned into a specialist at the tournament.
So whilst he may not be spoken about in the same breath as Kookaburra ambassador Adam Gilchrist, he will retire a very wealthy man when the time comes. Furthermore, Miller is still part of a team that is, as of the 20th of April, at just 9/2 in the latest IPL odds to win the tournament which would obviously ensure more eye-watering bonuses if that were to happen. This does go a long way in showing that players don’t necessarily have to be the best in the world to earn life-changing sums as Chris Morris – who is certainly not a household name – proved when he became the tournament’s most expensive signing at the IPL auction in 2021.


The money in the IPL is a crucial point to consider given that the inception of the tournament in 2008 could have affected the desire of players around the world in terms of reaching the highest possible accomplishments for their international teams. Unsurprisingly, it’s no secret that players earn most of their money at the competition and not from their national contracts.
Perhaps this is the reason why Miller has failed to live up to what was predicted for him or maybe there is another reason entirely.
Whatever the case, when the South African eventually looks back on his career whilst sitting in his luxurious home on Natal’s sough-after north coast, he will undoubtedly feel a degree of regret as he casts his eyes over the Indian Ocean and thinks about what might have been.

Tags: