Proteas master blaster David Miller: I know what I’m capable of

The Proteas have not won a bilateral T20 International series since beating Ireland more than two years ago.

After coming out on top in a thrilling series opener at Kingsmead on Tuesday, they will try to rectify this fact when they face Pakistan in the second T20I at Centurion tonight (6pm start).

“We are determined, to be honest. It’s been a while since we won a series. It’s great to start on the front foot and just put everything together, getting 180 and bowling well,” David Miller said yesterday.

“Look, it’s not a great losing series... I totally get that. Hence, we want to try and correct that this series, and start the series against Pakistan well for the ODIs and Tests.

“We spoke about starting well against Pakistan and not letting them in, and so we did that.

“The energy and vibes are always good amongst the group. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”

Miller played a major role in the Proteas starting on the front foot in this series with a majestic 40-ball 82 (4x4, 8x6) at Kingsmead.

The innings seemed to be following a familiar pattern, with the Proteas’ top three once again falling over in the PowerPlay.

It’s been a trend that has hampered the South Africans over the last 12 months.

Reeza Hendricks’ form at the top of the order since the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean has been sporadic at best, while filling the void left by Quinton de Kock has not been straightforward.

Regular T20I captain Aiden Markram is also in the midst of a lean patch, while Heinrich Klassen has not quite hit the heights that have made him the most fearsome white-ball batter in the world the past 12 months.

All of this forced Proteas limited-overs coach Rob Walter to have a rethink around the shape of the batting order, prompting Miller to be promoted to the all-important No 4 role.

The experiment reaped immediate benefits as the left-hander delivered an explosive innings that maintained the momentum, despite the wickets tumbling at the other end.

“He (Walter) spoke to me before the series and said he’d like to bat me higher up this series. I would’ve loved to take that on, and so I did,” Miller said.

“It was nice to go out there and play the brand of cricket that I know I can, and have more time and overs in the game. I know what I’m capable of, regardless of what people think.

“Everyone has opinions and stuff and so, they’re allowed to have. But I’ve just really been quite resolute as to what I want to achieve and how I go about it.

“So, yeah, I’m looking forward to that number four role in the series, and really taking them down. It was nice that it came off.”

A feature of Miller’s innings was the way he stuck to a very conventional form of batting, utilising the lofted cover drive and pull shots to great effect.

This is in contrast to what the modern T20 game revolves around, with switch hits, ramp shots and paddles often taking centre stage.

Miller, who is 34 runs away from being the Proteas’ leading run-scorer in T20Is, believes he has played the game long enough to know what works for him.

“I think I’ve been playing for a long time now, and I tend to think I’m quite stubborn at times. But look, I’ve never really looked to expand my game against pace with the lapping and reverse lapping,” he said.

“When it comes to spin, I’m very open to those kinds of conversations.

“And look, it’s something that I will definitely work on in the nets, but my Plan A, B, C is so, and then if I really, really need Plan D, then I might bring out the lap.

“But in order to do that in the game, I feel like I do need to work on that in the nets more and get a little bit more confident in that.

“I’m just looking to get into really good, strong positions, and making sure that I’m playing the ball according to wherever they’re bowling.”

The Proteas have lost fast bowler Anrich Nortjé for the remainder of the T20Is and the subsequent ODI series to a toe injury, but will have wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi available for selection at his home ground tonight.

Squads For Centurion

South Africa: Heinrich Klaasen (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen, Dayaan Galiem.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan.