Ken Borland

Batting baron David Miller is looking forward to playing an influential role for the Proteas both on and off the field in their five-match T20 series against India which starts on Thursday, having done the business in spectacular fashion for the champion Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

The 32-year-old Miller will become the first South African to play 100 T20 Internationals if he plays in all five matches of the series. Given his red-hot form of late – he scored 481 runs at an average of 68.71 and a strike-rate of 142 in the IPL – that would seem sensible.

“Scoring the runs that I did and closing out games for my team was what I was looking forward to doing, so it was nice to tick that box,” Miller said on Tuesday. “My objective is now the same for the Proteas.

“I’ve been around a long time and you develop, grow and mature in your role. I understand my game a lot better now. I still get nervous and the odd negative thought, but experience allows you to deal with that much better.

“So I also want to have that calming effect in the changeroom, clarify with the younger guys what they need to do, build those relationships. I enjoy giving advice and sharing my experience.

“But it’s important to learn from the youngsters too, how they approach the game, their mindsets. It’s a cool responsibility to have and I don’t feel any extra pressure because of it,” Miller said.

While Miller is mindful of the positive energy and good vibes they can engender back home by beating India, he warned that their hosts, despite resting stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, have experience and matchwinners spread through their squad. And again, the IPL has played a key role in their success, which has seen them win 12 T20 internationals in a row.

“India have a lot of depth because of the IPL, and a lot of experienced players from there who are used to dealing with pressure,” Miller said. “They have serious matchwinners and it’s going to be a challenging series for us.

“We have had no games since the last World Cup but we now understand our roles much better and we just want to get that blueprint back to where we were and iron out a few things leading up to the World Cup,” Miller said.

The Bulls had stretched Griquas to almost breaking-point in the first half of their Currie Cup clash at the weekend, but then allowed the visitors to come roaring back in the second half, coach Jake White making no bones about how disappointed he was with his players for some dumb moments both in discipline and in defence.

It was one-way traffic in the first 40 minutes at Loftus Versfeld as the Bulls cruised to a 36-5 lead with some clinical rugby. They extended their advantage to 41-5 early in the second half, but then two yellow cards in three minutes – to prop Lizo Gqoboka for collapsing a maul and to wing Madosh Tambwe for a deliberate knock-on – caused a total shift in momentum.

In the end Griquas were able to score six tries and the Bulls were relieved to win 48-38 in the end.

“Griquas made the Currie Cup semi-finals last year so they’ve showed they can play,” White said. “But with a URC team playing against a Currie Cup side and leading 36-5 at halftime, you would think you get a lot more out of the second half.

“Instead Griquas really got a roll on in the second half, which was very disappointing. The players must be proud to play for the Bulls, but they did not show that in the way they defended. They know how I feel about it because I let them know – we cannot defend like that.

“When it becomes too easy, you can play a bit too loose and that played into Griquas’ hands. It’s even more of an indictment that we were so far ahead, because that’s when you have to keep them out.

“And we speak about discipline every week but we had two yellow cards when we were more than 30 points ahead and not under any pressure. It was just too easy, it’s not as if they were pounding away at us,” White said.

While Tambwe’s yellow card came when he went for an intercept but could not hang on to the ball, killing a Griquas overlap in the process, the French-bound wing looked the classiest player on the park.

“Madosh has just improved so much,” White said. “His sheer understanding of what to do in defence killed a lot of Griquas attacks and he showed a real touch of class in setting up Canan Moodie’s try.

“His work-rate is also exceptional. We definitely want to keep him … maybe there will be some visa issues that keep him here … ” White joked.

The Airlink Pumas won the kicking battle both in the air and in terms of territory, while flying fullback Devon Williams brought the aerobatics with both of their tries as they upset the Sharks 20-10 in their Currie Cup match at Kings Park on Friday evening.

The victory was not quite enough to lift the Pumas into the top four, but they can certainly still launch a semi-final challenge as they are now just one point behind Griquas in fourth and five points adrift of the Sharks, who have played an extra match.

Williams sped over for the opening try in the eighth minute after the Sharks over-threw a lineout in their own 22, with outstanding Pumas centre Eddie Fouche then producing a telling dart and then a lovely offload to midfield partner Alwayno Visagie, who fed Williams down the left wing.

The Pumas soared into a 17-3 halftime lead after excellent scrumhalf Chriswill September sent a pass from the base of a ruck high and wide to right wing Sebastian de Klerk, who passed to the jet-propelled Williams on his inside for his second try shortly before the break.

Both coaches, Etienne Fynn of the Sharks and Jimmy Stonehouse of the Pumas, would have died many deaths in the second half.

The Sharks dominated the third quarter but were overall just not sharp enough to cross the line more than once, through replacement hooker Fez Mbatha’s try from a big rolling maul.

The Pumas, who were most effective at killing the Sharks’ momentum at the ruck, then regained their dominance but could only add a second penalty from Fouche as they wasted several promising positions in the Sharks’ 22.

Scorers

Sharks: Try – Fez Mbatha. Conversion – Boeta Chamberlain. Drop goal – Chamberlain.

Pumas: Tries – Devon Williams (2). Conversions – Eddie Fouche (2). Penalties – Fouche (2).

The Central Gauteng Lions may have just won the One-Day Cup, but the signing of explosive batsmen Cameron Delport and Evan Jones, both of whom are also part-time seamers, loans an even more formidable look to their white-ball squads for 2022/23.

Despite their incredible, Reeza Hendricks inspired victory in the One-Day Cup final against the Northerns Titans, the Lions have taken a pragmatic view in their recruiting for next season. Losing most of their side to national call-ups, they struggled in the CSA T20 Challenge, finishing second-last, and they were certainly the underdogs in the 50-over final.

Although their four-day campaign ended in disappointment, finishing third after holding top spot for most of the competition, the fact that there are 30 promotion/relegation points on offer for limited-overs cricket and just 15 for the first-class game, has convinced the Lions to concentrate on the white-ball game.

They were in danger of being dragged into next season’s relegation battle before winning the One-Day Cup, but after 2021/22 they are now second, 12 points behind the Titans.

The 32-year-old Delport has been signed from the KZN Inland Tuskers and is a global T20 nomad who has scored more runs in the format than any other batsman who has not played for their country. The left-handed opener scores at a strike-rate of 139 in T20s and 105 in 50-over cricket.

The 25-year-old, Pretoria-born Jones averages 71 in first-class cricket and has a strike-rate of 95 in one-dayers and 153 in T20s. A dominant presence at the crease, he led the Northern Cape charge to the top of the Division II standings with his destructive batting.

“There were a couple of spots open and certain players we wanted to attract,” CGL chief executive Jono Leaf-Wright told The Citizen. “Evan and Cameron are both really strong white-ball batsmen.

“Our T20 campaign was not great and we decided to push the reset button and make strategic signings.

“Winning the One-Day Cup was a relief because we were in the middle of the promotion/relegation pool after the bitter pill of our four-day finish and the T20 Challenge. Now we are second.

“Seven players left us to play for South Africa, that’s our role, to keep providing players for the national team, but to lose them meant we were victims of our own success. We have to make sure the depth of the talent pool is there,” Leaf-Wright said.

Bjorn Fortuin, who played a crucial role in getting the Lions across the finish line in the One-Day Cup final, has been rewarded with a two-year contract, joining Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Dominic Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla in that category.

Duanne Olivier, Mitchell van Buuren and Codi Yusuf have signed new contracts with the Lions, while wicketkeeper/batsman Ruan Haasbroek and spinner Tshepo Ntuli have been released.

Former SA U19 captain Wandile Makwetu has decided to cross the Vaal River and join Central Gauteng from the Free State Knights, but he has not been contracted.