Stand-in Proteas T20 International (T20I) captain David Miller is looking forward to the challenge of captaining South Africa in their three-match series against England starting in Bristol on Wednesday.
The tourists face the hosts on successive days, starting with the clash at the Seat Unique Stadium and followed by another in Cardiff on Thursday. The series concludes with a trip to Hampshire on Sunday.
Star batsman Miller is leading the visitors in the absence of injured skipper Temba Bavuma and is hopeful of a good outing against the English.
“I have captained a few times in my career so far and what I have learnt is that things do get a little bit crazy and frantic out there,” he told the media at a pre-series press conference. “It’s just about having your clear plans along with staying as calm as possible.
“I’ve already done a bit of prep and hopefully will be nice and prepared for tomorrow leading into the next couple of games.”
The two sides concluded their three-match One-Day International (ODI) series on Sunday, a sequence of games that ended 1-1 after the final game was washed due to rain.
Keshav Maharaj led the team for that series and now Miller has stepped in for this one. The stand-in captain admitted that Bavuma’s unavailability was not ideal but felt that it provided an opportunity for others who had performed well domestically to stake a claim in the national set-up.
“It does become quite challenging when there are injuries and stuff,” Miller said. “But it’s part of the game and for the last year or year-and-a-half, we’ve got together a squad that we’re pretty comfortable with at the moment.
“So with Temba not being here, it doesn’t really help, but it does allow for us to get a closer look at other players around the country leading into the World Cup.”
Some of the relatively new faces in the mix for this series include batsmen Rilee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs, together with paceman Gerald Coetzee.
Meanwhile, England themselves have been getting use to life under a new captain after Jos Buttler stepped up following the retirement of Eoin Morgan.
Miller conceded that the hosts will present a tough challenge, although he was confident the South Africans will be prepared.
He added: “The England team has come a long way in the last couple of years. They are a formidable team, Jos has played a lot under Eoin Morgan, he’s got great experience and has travelled all around the world, he plays IPL and has done extremely well on the international circuits.
“So I do think that they are a serious team. But to counter that, we’ve got a serious team as well. I think it’s going to be a good series.”
Proteas T20I squad against England
David Miller (captain, Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Gerald Coetzee (ITEC Knights), Quinton de Kock (Momentum Multiply Titans), Reeza Hendricks (Imperial Lions), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Anrich Nortje (Gbets Warriors), Wayne Parnell (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Dwaine Pretorius (North West Dragons), Kagiso Rabada (Imperial Lions), Rilee Rossouw (ITEC Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Gbets Warriors), Rassie van der Dussen (Imperial Lions).
South Africa T20I Tour to England Itinerary
Wednesday, 27 July – 18:30
England vs South Africa – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
Thursday, 28 July – 18:30
England vs South Africa – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Sunday, 31 July – 14:30
England vs South Africa – Ageas Bowl, Hampshire
