David Miller was in the thick of things South Africa came the closest to winning a major title in men’s cricket history during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Miller was standing at the non-striker’s end when Heinrich Klaasen brought the Proteas within 30 runs of victory with 30 balls remaining in their chase against India in the tournament’s final in Barbados. And yet, Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya orchestrated an extraordinary win for themselves and left South Africa heartbroken.
Miller was among the players who were in tears and he made an emotional note on his Instagram story the next day which sparked speculation as to whether he has announced his retirement from T20Is. Miller has, however, now cleared the air, stating that he is always available for selection and that the “best is yet to come”.
“Contrary to reports, I have not retired from T20 international cricket. I will continue to be available for the Proteas. The best is yet to come,” Miller wrote in his Instagram story.
Miller was on strike for the first ball of the last over, which was bowled by Pandya, with South Africa needing to score 16 runs in it to win the T20 World Cup. While it looked like he had hit Pandya for a six first ball, Suryakumar Yadav swooped in, caught the ball, threw it in the air before his momentum took him over the boundary line, hopped back in and completed a stunning catch. Pandya went on to concede eight runs in that over and took one more wicket.
“I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swallow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don’t explain how I am feeling. One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit. This journey was an incredible one, with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have endured pain, but I know this team has the resilience and will keep raising the bar,” Miller had said in his previous Instagram story.
It was the closest South Africa had come to winning a major trophy since their readmission to international cricket in 1991, with the side famously being unable to go past the semi-finals of major tournaments over the years despite fielding some of the best teams in the world in the last three decades. Miller himself was part of the South African side that lost a hard-fought semi-final in the 2015 World Cup. In nine matches at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Miller scored 169 runs at an average of 28.16, with a half-century and strike rate of 102.42. His best score was 59*.
