‘Superstar’ – David Miller ends Proteas’ five-year ODI century drought

David Miller went down in the history books of ODI World Cricket as the first South African batsman to smash a century. He achieved this feat against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 16 November 2023.

Australia humbled the sluggish Proteas, but Miller stood out. Despite the defeat, his performance was written in the tournament’s history books.

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DAVID MILLER ENDS FIVE-YEAR ODI CENTURY DROUGHT

The left-hander became South Africa’s top batsman after surpassing Faf du Plessis’ 82 runs against New Zealand during the 2015 World Cup. He reached a century in 115 balls before being bowled out in the 48th over.

Undoubtedly, he saved the Proteas from a World Cup embarrassment after he walked in at number six with the Proteas on 24 runs for four wickets.

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CAREER

The 34-year-old middle batter was born on 10 June 1989 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. However, his age has since cast doubt on his future with the Proteas, with many trying to connect the dots if he plays in the next Rugby World Cup.

The self-styled left-hander debuted in 2008 at 18; two years later, he had his international debut with the Proteas. He became a regular in 2013, and it took him another two years to have his first ODI century. He had his first fifty in the T20I format in 2016.

ALSO READ: INNINGS REPORT: Ton-up Miller steers woeful Proteas past 200-mark

David Miller has had his fair share of fame on club level with Kings XI Punjab. During his eight-year stint, he scored over 350 runs each season between 2013 and 2015 and captained them in 2016.

2022 was one of his career highlights after scoring 481 runs and striking at 142.72 in Gujarat Titans’ title-winning campaign.

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