David Miller on losing national contract — South Africa batter committed to finding a place in squad

“There is obviously healthy competition at the moment, with a lot of youngsters coming through. I’m well aware of that and it’s great to have that competition ‌because it encourages growth,” David Miller said on his exclusion. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

David Miller is looking forward to ​a reunion with Australia in the three-match one-day ⁠international series starting in Durban on Thursday, and while he is disappointed to have lost his national contract, remains committed to playing for ‌South Africa.

The swashbuckling left-handed middle-order batter has an excellent record against the Australians in the format with three ‌centuries and an average of 57.38 from 28 matches.

His ‌highest ⁠score in ODIs of 139 came against Australia ⁠in Hobart in 2018.

“I do enjoy playing against Australia,” Miller told reporters on Tuesday. “They have always been a really competitive team with incredibly skilled individual players.

“For ​me personally, you always ‌want to be playing against the best. Playing against teams and players like that raises your standards and tests you, which is always nice.”

The 37-year-old admits he was disappointed to ‌lose his national contract ahead of the 2027 World ​Cup that South Africa will host with Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“Although I play in a lot of (Twenty20) leagues, ⁠I’ve always wanted to play for South Africa and I love playing for my country,” Miller said. “Nothing has changed in that ‌regard. I’ve just lost my contract, but I still make myself available. If I’m selected, I’ll play. It’s about making sure everything is communicated properly.

“There is obviously healthy competition at the moment, with a lot of youngsters coming through. I’m well aware of that and it’s great to have that competition ‌because it encourages growth.”

South Africa has had much World Cup disappointment in ​the past but Miller is hopeful that next year it can end a series of failures that ⁠has defined the side.

“We’ve played really good cricket over the last couple ⁠of years and we’ve done really well in World Cups. We haven’t won one, obviously, but we’ve certainly ‌been knocking on the door,” Miller said.

“Sometimes, when you strive too hard for something, mistakes can creep in. You ​can become a little frantic and stop thinking clearly.”