“Maybe I’ll have to give his dad a call and find out” - Dale Steyn on "technical change" in David Miller’s game
Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, in a light-hearted tone, stated that he might have to call up David Miller’s father and find out what “technical change” the in-form batter has made to his game.
In an interesting tweet a couple of months back, the left-hander’s father Andrew said that his son has made a technical change, which no cricket expert has been able to pick up.
On Thursday, the Proteas cricketer carried on his sensational run with the bat, clubbing 64* in 31 balls with the aid of four fours and five sixes as South Africa chased down a target of 212, their highest-ever in T20Is.
Steyn conceded that he couldn’t spot any technical adjustment in Miller’s batting. Asked what, according to him, has changed in the southpaw’s game, the former speedster told ESPNcricinfo:
“I think it’s confidence. He’s always had that six-hitting ability. I can’t see any difference technically.” He joked, “Maybe I’ll have to give his dad a call and find out what technical difference he’s made.”
@NehrajiTheGOAT Since 1 Jan 2021 he’s averaging 79 and striking at over 140 against spin in over 40 games. He has made a technical change to his game and there is not one cricket expert who has picked it up. I’m his father by the way and I’ll leave it to the so called experts to decipher.
On a serious note, the 38-year-old added:
“Now, he seems to be hitting boundaries when he wants to. If he feels under pressure, he can hit the ball for six. Every time he hits a six, he genuinely hits the ball a long way.”
Steyn pointed out that the experienced cricketer has been in amazing form for a while now and even closed out a match in the T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka. He opined:
“Since then, he’s just been on this upward curve. Got the nod with the (Gujarat) Titans. Hardik Pandya gave him the freedom to express himself with the bat. It just seems like he’s gotten better and better. He put on the South African jersey today (Thursday) and just continued from where he left off at the IPL. He’s been phenomenal.”
South Africa were 81 for three in their chase of 212 when Miller joined Rassie van der Dussen (75* off 46) out in the middle. The duo added an unbeaten 131 to take the Proteas to a record win.
“He’s been absolutely brilliant against spin” - Wasim Jaffer on David Miller 2.0
According to former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer, the South African batter’s improvement against spin bowling has had a huge role to play in his recent success. Jaffer explained:
“There is a huge difference in the Miller we saw 2-3 years back to what we are seeing now. It started just before the T20 World Cup. He’s been absolutely brilliant against spin."
Jaffer added:
"When we saw Miller bat in the 2015-16 phase, he was a little bit scratchy against spin. Everything was just sweep. Now he has got very confident of hitting the bowlers down the ground. Fast bowling has never been an issue for him, but I think he has got that confidence in him when he faces spin in India.”
The celebrations continue for David Miller 🥳
Happy Birthday and have a smashing day 🎂 https://t.co/iBSzigccuN
Miller’s blazing knock on Thursday against India was extra special as it came just a day ahead of his 33th birthday (June 10).
Also Read: Top stats from 1st India vs South Africa T20I in Delhi