David Miller on captaining the Proteas T20 team in their upcoming series against England and the return of Rilee Rossouw.
READ: Kapp to miss Commonwealth Games
David Miller is looking forward to captaining the Proteas in their three-match T20I series against England, which starts in Bristol on Wednesday.
The tourists face the hosts on successive days, with the second clash 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 learned is that things do get a little bit crazy and frantic out there,” he told the media on Tuesday. “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 three-match ODI series between the teams ended 1-1 after the final game on Sunday was rained out. Keshav Maharaj led the Proteas in that series and now Miller has stepped in for this one.
“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.”
Miller conceded that the hosts, captained by Jos Buttler, will present a tough challenge.
“The England team has come a long way in the past 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.”
Wednesday’s match will start at 7:30pm (SA time).
Proteas T20I squad: David Miller (c, Dolphins), Gerald Coetzee (Knights), Quinton de Kock (Titans), Reeza Hendricks (Lions), Heinrich Klaasen (Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Wayne Parnell (Western Province), Andile Phehlukwayo (Dolphins), Dwaine Pretorius (Dragons), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Rilee Rossouw (Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Warriors), Rassie van der Dussen (Lions).
Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images
