The going got tough and David Miller got going, again

David Miller has been around for quite a while now. It has been more than 13 years since he made his international debut – in a T20I against the West Indies in Antigua. During this period, he has largely established himself as one of the best finishers in the shortest format, and as one of the cleanest ball-strikers on this planet.

Usually, when a player has such distinct characteristics, other traits can fly under the radar. And that is, in no way, indicative of what a player can or cannot do. It is just how perception works. But when someone of Miller’s class keeps reiterating that there is a lot more to him than just sixes, it also becomes pretty tough to ignore.

On Thursday, South Africa found themselves in all sorts of trouble batting first in the first semi-final against Australia in Kolkata – the only time it has happened this World Cup, and perhaps only the second time it has happened this entire year.

David Miller produced a special hundred under pressure

The ball was jagging around. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc had their tails up, and Australia were just not allowing the Proteas to get away. At one stage, when Miller walked in to bat, South Africa were reeling at 24-4. Inside 12 overs. Marooned amidst the Australian storm, and with safe shore nowhere in sight.

Rather than baulking at the situation, the left-handed batter looked at this as an opportunity. As a chance to remind everyone that while his six-hitting ability probably remains his USP, his tendency to stand up when most needed is also unparalleled and second to none.

The situation, of course, demanded the middle-order batter to buckle down a little. However, it was also imperative that he did not get bogged down like those before him, and allow Australia to further tighten the screw. Miller aced this particular challenge, finding the perfect blend between caution and aggression.

He was secure in defence, and unforgiving when the ball pitched in his areas. If it was in his arc, it went out of the park. Fans of the IPL, in particular, would be well-versed with this phrase, for it gained an enormous amount of popularity when Miller used to win games out of nowhere for the Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings now) and later, the Gujarat Titans.

Apart from picking and choosing his moments to attack, Miller also decided to take down Adam Zampa, who on a pitch that was turning square, was perhaps Australia’s biggest threat.

The southpaw batted with so much intent, though, that Zampa was unable to settle into a rhythm, often bowling short because he was fearful of Miller going downtown, and then over-compensating and bowling too full, which the South African punished anyway.

It is quite revealing that on a surface where Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi would wreak havoc later, Zampa went for 55 runs in his seven overs, largely because the Gujarat Titans batter tore into him. That was a major reason why South Africa ended up with 212, which was ultimately not enough, but gave them something to bowl at.

The other thing about Miller is that he, almost always, rises to the occasion when the chips are down. All of his six ODI hundreds have come when South Africa have been in a spot of bother.

His highest score, a 139-run knock against Australia in Hobart in November 2018, came when South Africa were reduced to 55-3 inside 16 overs. His second-highest score was when South Africa, in their first game of the 2015 World Cup, were teetering at 67-3 against Zimbabwe.

The other entry points for his hundreds were when South Africa were 32-3 (130 against West Indies), 179-4 (chasing 372 against Australia) and 108-4 (117 against Sri Lanka).

These numbers only tell you that what happened on Thursday in Kolkata was not an aberration. In fact, it was the extension of a pattern that has possibly flown under the radar, but is quite prevalent if you cast a keen glance.

So much so that you could even go on to say that when the going has gotten tough for South Africa, Miller has inevitably gotten going.

It was unfortunately not enough for the Proteas against Australia, but the only reason they were able to stretch that game out for that long was because Miller had given them something to play with.

And that brings us back to the perception around the left-handed batter. Because he strikes the ball so cleanly, and makes power-hitting so easy, he will always be remembered for the sixes he it, and how he ripped bowling attacks to shreds.

Among all of that, though, there is also a cricketer who knows how to soak up pressure, absorb it like a sponge and then explode. And based on the evidence chronicled, there are not many better at it in the current game than Miller, especially considering he is, quite often, the last fail-safe option for South Africa. Perhaps the one South Africa trust the most to get them out of trouble too.