Last Update on: November 16th, 2023 at 08:27 pm
David Miller is keeping South Africa’s hope alive in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. The semi-final 2 of the tournament is taking place between Proteas and Australia at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
South Africa’s decision to bat first didn’t prove to be right as Australian bowlers were all over them with the new ball. The Proteas were left clattering at 24/4 and it didn’t seem that they would go past even 100 runs. But David Miller made sure that he stepped up at the crucial stage for his team.
David Miller has played magnificently well under pressure and has made sure that his team sets at least a fighting total on the board. The southpaw emerged as a lone warrior for his team and played one of the best innings by a South African batter in the knockout stages of ICC events.
Despite all the pressure, he stood tall for his side and played a solid innings. Amidst all the seriousness and intensity, he was involved in a hilarious moment as well. The batter collided with Gerald Coetzee as they were running between the wickets.
— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) November 16, 2023
David Miller slammed a magnificent century under pressure in the big game and became the first South Africa batter to score a ton in ICC knockouts. He brought up his ton in just 115 balls and made everyone stand and applaud him for his heroics.
David Miller ended with the knock of 101 runs off 116 balls. He batted with a strike rate of around 90 and also smashed 8 fours and 5 sixes in his innings. His rollicking effort powered South Africa to a total of 212 runs on the board.
SA vs AUS: Glad to get the hundred – David Miller after his century against Australia
David Miller talked about his innings and said that it’s very big for him in the context of the game. He talked about the conditions and said that they would try to put pressure on the opposition. He explained:
“Really big (importance of this knock.) Glad to get the hundred, but we want to win at the end of the day. Helped the team to score a decent score with those partnerships. Expected these conditions at the start of the match, but we were on the back foot after four down in the powerplay.
“Managed to put up a couple of partnerships (with Klaasen and Coetzee), think we fought hard. It’s about watching every ball and staying in the moment, trusting your preparation. It’s one-ball-at-a-time. We need to put them under pressure in the powerplay by taking wickets. It’s about using the conditions, bowling in the right areas.”
South Africa are keeping things tight with the game. They have removed three wickets and are putting Australia under pressure. The game is heading towards a thrilling finish.
