Ken Borland

Watching the swashbuckling David Miller blazing away at the crease, it seems to be all about enjoying the game for the left-hander and the Proteas star said on Tuesday that the fun factor had been a major part of his decision to return to KwaZulu-Natal to play for the Dolphins.

Miller returns to the province of his birth after just two seasons with the Knights, the central franchise having also lost another key batsman in Theunis de Bruyn back to the Titans.

“I have played with a lot of the Dolphins guys from about 11 or 12 years old, and it makes the game even more special playing alongside your mates. Coming back is the next step in my career and I hope that I can help the Dolphins to more success in the future while enjoying the game a lot. They have a good team spirit going and I wanted to be part of that.

“My two seasons with the Knights were great and they were just what my career needed. My time there challenged me in different areas, but it was quite an easy decision for me to come back to Durban. I do a lot of travelling as it is and so the travel between Durban and Bloemfontein became an issue and I am happy to be back where it all started for me,” Miller said at Kingsmead on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old was the Knights’ top T20 batsman last season and, given that he is one of the world’s best white-ball cricketers, the return of Miller could just get the Dolphins one step further after they were beaten finalists in the RamSlam T20 Challenge and shared the Momentum One-Day Cup title.

“The Dolphins had a good season in white-ball cricket last year and they are building something special and I am looking forward to adding to that this season. I have heard a lot of good things about coach Grant Morgan and his passion for the game and his work ethic beyond training and matches, it is exciting,” Miller said.

“You can’t put a value on having a guy like Dave back in his home environment, what sits in his heart are his family and friends and it’s in his DNA to want to do well for the Dolphins. His international experience is also invaluable, he’s played around the world in pressure situations.

“And he’s a fantastic human being. We are on the up, we’ve laid the foundation and I’m sure he can give us that extra little push to take us to the next level,” Morgan said.

https://citizen.co.za/sport/south-africa-sport/sa-cricket-sport/1946165/david-miller-returns-to-his-fish-bowl/

Chevrolet Knights batsman Dean Elgar is hoping to transfer how good he feels in practice out into the middle as the left-hander eyes another summer and another push to make the national team.

This search for runs will begin on Saturday when Elgar heads out to the crease for South Africa A against Sri Lanka A in a four-day game at Kingsmead in Durban.

“I had two good knocks in warm-up matches here and even when I’ve been practising in Bloemfontein I’ve just felt really good, in fact this is the best I’ve ever felt,” Elgar said on Tuesday at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria where the SA A squad are training ahead of the series against the Sri Lankans.

“So the confidence and the technique are there, I just have to apply and execute,” Elgar added.

This could well be the year that Elgar finally makes his international debut as he has been a prolific scorer at domestic level for several years now and he was chosen in South Africa’s squad for the one-day international series against Sri Lanka but had to withdraw without playing a match due to a knee injury.

“I had a bite of the cherry but then my knee had other plans. It’s one of those things, that’s cricket, but when you’ve got a personal goal like playing for the national side, you don’t get disheartened by things like that,” the 25-year-old said philosophically.

Elgar believes he could fit into either the test or ODI team, but admits “there are awesome players currently in the national side”. He would like to open the batting in the longer form of the game, but would be happy to slot in anywhere in the limited-overs line-up.

“I think I’m firmly positioned as an opener in four-day cricket, but in the one-dayers I can bat anywhere between one and five. I had a lot of success for the Knights batting in the middle-order, but the national team chooses you where to bat, you don’t choose where you want to bat!” Elgar said.

The Welkom-born former SA U19 captain is also a fine fielder and can also bowl accurate left-arm spin, which can only help his chances of making the ODI squad.

His temperament is proven by the number of times he has saved the Knights from precarious positions, his grittiness and sheer survival instinct at the crease drawing comparisons to former Australian opener Justin Langer.

“The important thing is to be patient and just keep doing what makes you successful, what I’m comfortable with in my game. You don’t want to tinker too much because that can be the recipe for disaster,” Elgar said.

The summer may well start with Elgar once again with the SA A team – when they head to Zimbabwe for the triangular series there with Sri Lanka A it will be his seventh tour with them – but it could well end with him having finally made the step up to full international colours.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-a-team/news/120626/Elgar_full_of_confidence_for_summer_ahead