Any other coach would probably have brought in David Miller to bat at number five or six. Not Mike Bechet… writes Chris Chiwanza
Miller was an opener and Bechet believed that the best way to utilize the boy’s talents was to open with the batting with him. Miller had caught the eye of every school in the province as an opening batter. Top schools were falling over each other offering bursaries and he had chosen Maritzburg College.
Bechet knows a prodigious talent when he sees one. One of the few standout talents that spent their formative years under his care and guidance is Kevin Pietersen. Bechet knew from the onset that Pietersen was a star. He also knew immediately when he saw David Miller.
“He was a humble young man with immense sporting talent,” says Bechet. “He was a special talent. Also very disciplined and respectful towards his older teammates.”
Bechet believed that young David Miller, aged 14, had both the talent and temperament to open the batting against the St. Johns’ first XI attack. On debut, Miller faced a then-18-year-old Scott Spedding. Spedding eventually went on to carve a career as a rugby full-back for the French national team, but, back then he was an aggressive opening bowler. He bowled with serious heat.
Miller collapsed in a heap after the first delivery. Spedding had hit him in the chest with a short delivery.
“I thought to myself, ‘Now what? Have I done the right thing?’” Bechet recalls.
Fortunately, Miller was not seriously injured but would carry the bruise on his chest for a few days. There was never a discussion over whether Miller would have to retire hurt or not. Even if the coaches had considered the option, Miller would not have agreed to the idea. They would have required an earth-mover to remove him from the crease.
The youngster put on a brave face, doing his best to be as inscrutable and expressionless as possible, and continued with his debut. Miller scored an impressive 42 off 69. Maritzburg College went on to win the match by an impressive 88 runs.
If anyone had doubts about Miller, they were laid to rest during Michaelmas Week. In his second match, facing an Affies attack led by Neil Wagner, Miller put together a 127-run opening partnership with Tarlton Hepburn. Miller blazed through the Affies attack scoring 67 off 70 balls. Bichet believed that if Miller was good enough, then he was old enough to play. At 14, Miller played 22 of the 23 games Maritzburg College played that year.
With bat in hand, Miller was every coach’s dream. But, at 14, Miller had not yet matured as a cricketer and had a tendency to lose concentration in the field. Like any other kid, he had a tendency to drift off while fielding. But, that resolved itself as he grew older.
“The first bit of advice I gave David was that whilst in the team he was a team mate, but whilst at school (hostel and classroom) he was still a grade 9 boy, and so, he needed to develop friendships amongst his peers NOT his team mates, all of whom were 17 and 18,” says Bechet.
Miller developed at a quicker pace than his peers because he played up. In sports, playing up is when younger and smaller athletes compete with older, more robust and better athletes. The advantage of playing up in sports is rooted in how younger players are challenged more. Older players are more likely to bully younger players and are susceptible to complacency as their skills are not put to the test.
When younger players are continuously challenged by older, more robust and better-skilled athletes, they are driven to what Mark Guadagnoli and Tim Lee call the optimal challenge point. In their book, The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made, Tim Wigmore and Mark Williams show how Serena Williams benefitted from competing more with her sister, Venus Wiliams, who constantly defeated young Serena.
Athletes who play up as youngsters learn at an accelerated rate because of how much they fail. Think of it in the context of lifting weights. If you are lifting weights and it’s easy, you are not improving.
Despite his success in his first two innings, David Miller ended the 2004 season with an average of 17.7. The half-century against Affies was his highest score that season. He was the eighth-best batter in his team. The next season, 2005, Miller was still facing bowlers three or so years older than him. He averaged 28.8. Miller scored four half-centuries, with a highest of an unbeaten 73, on his way to 518 runs from 20 innings.
In the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Miller scored the most runs for Maritzburg College. In 2006, he ended the year with an impressive average of 48.9. Miller scored four centuries and six half-centuries on his way to 1271 runs from 32 innings. He was 474 runs clear of the next best batter from his school. In 2007, Miller racked up 1053 runs (two centuries and seven half-centuries) from 21 innings. He averaged 65.81.
In 2007, after Miller had matured as a player, Bechet watched him play what is probably his best innings as a schoolboy. Miller scored 151 runs off 115 deliveries (16 fours and 3 sixes) in a match against Hilton. The match was a day-night 45 over-game played at the Pietermaritzburg Oval. Miller’s 151 powered Maritzburg to a total of 333/7.
David’s father, Andrew Miller, a Kearsney Old Boy, played high school cricket and was a decent country districts cricketer. Instead of maintaining his father’s level, David took things to the next level. Despite his interest and cricket knowledge, Andrew Miller did not interfere with how his son was coached. Andrew Miller embodied the same humility that Bechet saw in David. He was not a ‘Tiger parent.’
Despite his obvious natural talent, David Miller worked hard on his batting. He spent a lot of time in the nets and was always asking Bechet questions on how to improve. Miller had a rage to master his craft, as Ellen Winner, author of Gifted Children, terms the strong intrinsic motivation to improve common in many prodigies. At 14, Miller had already developed the makings of a classical left-handed batter.
But, David Miller did not specialise in cricket until after his Grade 12 year. Researchers assert that there are numerous benefits to late specialization. A number of studies show that children who specialise early are more susceptible to injury and burnout compared to their counterparts who do not. According to a study that looked at gold medal winners from the UK, elite athletes generally specialised later when compared to promising young athletes who did not make it to the top.
The trend also follows in cricket. Miller’s former Proteas teammate, the inimitable AB DeVilliers played rugby for Affies, his high school. England batter Jonny Bairstow was still toying with the idea of a rugby career in his early 20s. Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar played squash until he suffered an injury that forced him to stop competing. There are countless other examples of elite cricketers who specialised late and are better because of it.
At Maritzburg College, David Miller learned and mastered hockey, a sport primarily designed for right-handers. Miller grew into a fierce striker and scored some unbelievable goals when he played in the KZN Midlands U18A team in his grade 12 year. That season, he scored 20 goals in 18 games.
“David was arguably a kid with the best hand-eye coordination I have ever seen. I could compare him with Jonty Rhodes,” says Bechet.
But, Miller was not all sports while at school, he had time to play and be with his peers. Twice, Bechet caught Miller bunking from the hostel, a favourite pass time for many youngsters. Boys will be boys.
Bechet beams with pride that David Miller has finally won an IPL trophy. He has followed Miller’s IPL career intently and feels that in the past teams did not give him the best chance to shine. At number five, Miller was best positioned to play his natural game. No two games were the same, sometimes he came on after an early collapse and he had to dig in and rebuild, at other times he had to have a quick look before launching an attack. Either way, he never came in too late.
“Like always, this year I watched every Gujarat Titans IPL game. It gives me great joy and pride to see him performing on the big stage,” says Bechet.
David Miller and his former coach and housemaster still keep in touch, they text each other on WhatsApp regularly. Whenever Miller is in Johannesburg and can spare a moment, the two meet up and catch up. Their relationship is so special that Miller flew Bechet to Kimberley to watch him play his 100th ODI.
“It was very humbling and special for me to share in that moment with David,” says Bechet.
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Photo: IPL
