A good reason to cheer our own Miller

Despite being a long-standing rugby addict, I cannot get too excited about yet another Bulls vs the Durban Sharks game — the name Durban is printed on their jersey. If a Craig Jamieson, a Piere de Lange, a Sarel Erwee, a John Mullis, a Doc Louw, or a Butch James was in the Sharks line-up, I would certainly be more enthusiastic. Thus the fact that a boy who used to open the batting for our Maritzburg College, even before his matric year — David Miller — is playing a defining role for the Proteas in the World T20 Cup, has a lot to do with my preference for the white ball game right now.

In fact, I cut my teeth when my father insisted in me not just going to watch a five-day Test, but taking note of every ball bowled. So I soon graduated from watching every punch thrown in boxing rings. My old man’s first love was cricket, and he insisted among other attributes that “catches win matches”.

He later moderated that to fielding, after Jonty’s (Rhodes) famous diving stumps-breaking run out, which is commemorated with a sculpture on the weathervane atop our city’s cricket Oval. I still vividly recall my old man’s outspoken support for Jack Cheetham’s young team to Australia in 1952-53. Most scribes called for the tour to be cancelled, as it was lambs being led to a slaughter with the Aussie’s boasting Lindwal and Miller as opening bowlers, and a brilliant left handed bat in Neil Harvey.

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However, Cheetham’s babes included Jackie McGlew and Roy McLean of Maritzburg fame, a spinner Hugh Tayfield, and several gifted fielders. I still clearly recall an early, very early, radio commentary from down under. The swashbuckling Keith Miller was hitting fours and sixes, and the commentator had no reservation saying “Miller has hooked the ball for a towering six”, followed by a silence, punctuated by “good God he’s out!”.

A young Russell Endean fielding on the boundary at square leg, had jumped up and caught the certain six one-handed! Enough, Cheetham’s young team drew the series two-all. Fast forward to today and David Miller, lauded and regarded as merely a six or nix slogger, is batting more like he was taught to, by getting himself in before unleashing.

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