An enigma, a person who is mysterious and difficult to understand.
This description can’t be applied to David Miller, who’s been around the international block since 2010.
In the current Proteas touring group in India, he’s the most experienced batsman.
This is why his lack of performance and his inability to accelerate the innings in Wednesday’s seven-wicket loss to India in the second T20 in Mohali was difficult to understand.
WHERE'S THE CONSISTENCY?
Today’s third T20 in Bengaluru, which SA need to win to square the series after the first game was washed out, will be critical from Miller’s perspective.
Miller’s potential and talent has never been in doubt.
At 30 and with the focus shifting to next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, the question of trusting the potential that hasn’t quite manifested as consistent performance again raises its head.
It’s true that Miller is the joint owner of the fastest T20 hundred — which he made against Bangladesh off just 35 balls in Potchefstroom just under two years ago.
However, his T20 career has only seen two other 50-plus scores and none of them have come in an International Cricket Council tournament.
He’s been to two T20 World Cups in 2014 and 2016 and he only realised a top score of 28 in eight innings.
Those tournaments were in Bangladesh and India, but with his Indian Premier League experience he could have and should have done better.
BETTER USE OF MILLER TIME
SA’s muddled batting approach, especially in the middle order, had a lot to do with Miller being criminally misused.
However, he’s the most senior batsman now and the experience he’s gained in the past nine years has to be utilised.
Temba Bavuma, whose short-format talents haven’t been fully appreciated, showed how it was done on his debut on Wednesday even though he took responsibility for the slowdown that allowed India to chase a mediocre total with ease.
SA’s muddled batting approach, especially in the middle order, had a lot to do with Miller being criminally misused
With only 120 balls available in T20s the onus is on the best batsmen getting the larger share of the deliveries in order to inflict maximum damage.
Current T20 captain Quinton de Kock has led the way from the top order, but the time has arrived for Miller to stamp his mark for the national team in games that count.
Miller’s power-hitting talents are known in T20 circles, but they have not been seen on a consistent basis for the national team.
Potential and talent can buy you a meal ticket to the national team table, but keeping the place there when others are knocking requires the requisite performances to keep the selection wolves from the door.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium and its friendly batting surface should be a decent platform for Miller to embark on the top-order power-hitting consistency that’s required from him.
Performances win tournaments, not potential.
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