"It's very taxing and draining" - David Miller on having played 500 T20 matches
South African limited-overs specialist David Miller believes cricketers must avoid bottling things within themselves in order to safeguard their mental health. The southpaw, who has played 500 T20 games now, underlined how mentally taxing the constant grind is.
Miller made his T20 debut in 2008 and has now been part of 500 games in the format, scoring over 10500 runs with four centuries alongside a best of 120*. The veteran has also been part of the IPL, BBL, SA20, CPL, MLC, and PSL, thereby establishing himself as a genuine match-winner.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo's Cricket Monthly, Miller said he enjoys being at home around his family more than being away, elaborating:
"It's very taxing and draining. It's a fantastic opportunity to travel the world and get paid for it. And it sounds all flashy and great, but we are all human and I personally enjoy my hometown and friends, my family, being close to them.
"It's just about making sure that when you're feeling down, whatever the case is, you're communicating. Bottling things in is not the way forward. You need to actually get it all out and chat to someone that you trust, whether it's your wife or a psychologist or whoever. Get it off your chest because it is important. It can be tough, it can be very lonely."
While the southpaw harbors hopes of playing in T20 World Cup 2026, he believes in taking it one year at a time instead of thinking far into the future. He said:
"I have spoken to Rob Walters about it. At this stage, I'm just going year by year and assessing where my cricket's on a yearly basis. I don't want to get too far ahead. I would love to play cricket for as long as I can. At this stage, yes, I'm looking forward to it, but we'll just see how we go along the way."
The 35-year-old was part of South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign where they had an unbeaten run to the final. However, they sustained a close seven-run loss to India in the summit clash.
David Miller talks about the importance of maintaining one's body with progressing age
The Proteas batter also said that as a youngster one is not so cautious about maintaining a healthy routine, but working on one's body is of paramount importance as one ages. He told the aforementioned source:
"I've always jokingly said when you first start playing professional cricket, you are young, your body's working so well that you don't have to warm up. Sleep's not that important. At the younger ages, you are kind of working out your game and not really worrying about your body. As the tides turn, you understand your game a lot better, but now you've gotta actually work at your body."
Harking back to his first IPL season in 2011, Miller said it was a privilege to play under Adam Gilchrist and felt his unbeaten ton in the 2013 edition put him on the map. He said:
"As for turning points, I remember starting at the IPL when I was 21. I was very fortunate to be at Kings XI [Punjab] with Adam Gilchrist as captain. Growing up, I would wake up in the early hours, two-three in the morning, and watch Australia play. I always loved watching Gilchrist, so to have him as my captain was a dream come true.
"Funnily, he tore both hamstrings in the third year, and I managed to get a few games. That's when I scored that hundred against RCB [in 2013]. That was probably the turning point in my career. I had already played for South Africa but wasn't really in the picture. It brought a lot attention to me at that stage."
Miller is currently part of the Barbados Royals in CPL 2024.