David Miller

David Miller aka Killer Miller might look shy and reserved in his demeanor but the talented southpaw knows how to use the long lever to good effect. A mainstay in the limited overs setup of South Africa, Miller is yet to reach his full potential on the world stage.

David Miller: Over the Years

Career

Domestic career

Miller made his first-class debut in the Dolphins' final game of the 2007–08 domestic SuperSport Series, scoring a half-century in the first innings in which he batted. Miller made eight appearances in the one-day MTN Domestic Championship competition of the same season, though his final match was abandoned after just three overs. Miller scored an average of 13 runs throughout the competition, which saw the Dolphins finish in fifth place in the league. He was part of a South African A side that took on Bangladesh A and finished as the second-highest run-scorer, which earned him a senior call-up.

IPL Career

Miller was signed up by Punjab for the 2011 IPL season for a price of $100,000 as a replacement for Dimitri Mascarenhas but did not play in a single game. Playing for the Kings XI Punjab in the 2013 Indian Premier League, Miller scored third-fastest IPL century with a score of 101* in just 38 balls in Mohali and contributed towards remaking statistics. He scored 418 runs at an average 59.71. He scored three fifties and a hundred. This is from where he got christened as Killer Miller by his fans.

However, with the team’s poor performance, he was dropped from the captaincy post and was not retained by the team during 2018 IPL retention.

After playing for Kings XI Punjab over number of years, David Miller was bought by Rajasthan Royals bought the South African for INR 75 lakh during the IPL Players Auction ahead of IPL 2020. The left-handed batsman has grown to become South Africa’s middle order mainstay and will be an important member for RR. While he has moved from KXIP to RR, expect Miller to unleash himself in IPL 2020 as RR look to win their second IPL title.

ODI Career

Miller made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 May 2010. He put in another good performance, scoring 23 not out and helping South Africa to victory. Due to his remarkable performance, he was named in South Africa's preliminary 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup squad but did not make the final cut. 

It took till 2015 for Miller's first ODI century: 130 against West Indies in January. He started the tournament with a bang scoring 138 off just 92 balls against Zimbabwe in South Africa's first game. He put up a 256-run stand along with Jean Paul Duminy (115*), the highest partnership for the fifth-wicket in all World Cups.Miller also went on to play a whirlwind cameo in the all-important semifinal against New Zealand, smashing 49 off just 18 balls but still ended up on the losing side. After a successful IPL season, he was also named in the South African squad for the Champions Trophy. He was also a part of the 2019 Cricket World Cup but just like South Africa, his performance was abysmal in the tournament. He played 6 matches and only managed to score 138 runs.

T20 Career

In his debut T20 match in May 2010, he scored 33 off 26 balls with Proteas eventually winning the match by a single run. In 2017, in the 2nd T20I against Bangladesh, he scored his first century in a T20I and made the fastest century in a T20I (35 balls).

Family

David Miller was born on 10 June 1989 in Pietermaritzburg. Not alien with the concept of cricket, David grew in a family wherein his father was club level cricketer who encouraged him to pursue cricket as his profession.