Incoming stars eager to impress
Flat Kimberley deck suggests it will be a run feast.
“We are buzzing and really looking forward to the series,” David Miller said yesterday as South Africa prepared for the start of their ODI series against Bangladesh in Kimberley tomorrow.
With the two Tests being a disappointing mismatch, there was the danger of the three ODIs and two T20s that follow being a boring appendix to the tour. Hower, the fact that the Proteas ODI squad includes half-a-dozen players who played no part in the Test series, all of them eager for their first chance to impress new coach Ottis Gibson, means there is fresh energy around the South African camp.
Bangladesh should also be more competitive thanks to the arrival of veteran seamer Mashrafe Mortaza and all-rounder Shakib al-Hasan, who were not available for the Tests.
“The mood is very high, the energy is outstanding and we’ve prepared well. Bangladesh might not have done too well in the Tests, but in limited-overs they are very competitive so we know we need our A game, we’re taking nothing for granted. They’ve beaten the best in the world before and we’re really aware of that.
“It feels like we’re starting again, this is a great time to be playing, it’s a new season with a new coach, so everyone is buzzing and we’re really feeling good energy here even though Kimberley is a small town,” Miller, who will become the 22nd South African to play 100 ODIs, said yesterday.
Apart from Miller, South Africa will also welcome AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy back into their XI, while Farhaan Behardien and Dwaine Pretorius are probably competing for one place, as both get their first experience of playing under Gibson.
On what is expected to be a typically flat Kimberley surface though, the Proteas would probably welcome having as many frontline bowlers as they can squeeze in, with Pretorius probably joining Kagiso Rabada, Tahir, Andile Phehlukwayo and either Wayne Parnell or Dane Paterson, in a five-man attack backed by the part-time spin of Duminy.
“Kimberley is now one of my home grounds since I play for the Knights and it’s been a good ground for me in the past. It’s not the biggest field and the pitch is usually really nice for batting. As a batsman, you have to take your opportunities when they come.
“My seven years with the Proteas have been up and down, but it’s always been a dream come true to play for my country and I never imagined doing it 100 times. It’s been a huge learning curve for me and I’ve learnt to take more responsibility for my own game and also off the field,” Miller said.