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Miller banking on Hashim Amla's advice to flourish in T20 World Cup

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Last updated on 21 Oct 2021 | 03:14 AM
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Miller banking on Hashim Amla's advice to flourish in T20 World Cup

The former South Africa batter still has positive influence on some of the current players

Hashim Amla might have retired from international cricket in 2019 but the former South Africa batter still has positive influence on some of the current players, David Miller in particular. The Proteas haven’t won a major ICC trophy since 1998 and will now get another shot at redemption when they start their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign against Australia on Saturday (October 23).

"The famous old saying is that you are only as good as your last game, but Hashim always said to me (you're only as good as) your next game. It's about resetting the clock and the mind, and trying to control and really be in the present," ESPNcricinfo quoted Miller as saying.

"I had the privilege to play with him for many, many years and I suppose what I have learnt from him is to not let failure get you down. We are striving for consistency in performance and, off the field, trying to be a consistent person as well.

"That's what I have really enjoyed about Hashim and his influence, being nice and calm, being a pillar of strength; the silent assassin. He was about getting the job done but more so, being nice and consistent as a person. It has been a good journey with him and I still keep in touch with him and will continue to do that during this World Cup for any advice."

Miller is the most experienced player in the South African squad and is part of the leadership group. The left-handed middle-order batter is looking to learn from his Indian Premier League stints with Rajasthan Royals and wants to use all the experience in the showpiece event. 

"In terms of leadership, it's really nice to be a part of the group and share my experiences. I feel like we (some of the senior members of the squad) have got a lot to add off the field - what we've learnt in the IPLs, in the previous IPLs and when we played here in Dubai for South Africa against Pakistan. Leadership is something we are taking on more and more, and hopefully, it all plays itself out in results."

South Africa will be high on confidence after winning both their warm-up games against Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. However, unlike most of the teams, they don’t have a long batting line-up and Miller feels that the lower-order will have to step up if and when needed.

“We've got a strong enough batting unit. There might be a game or two where we need our bowlers to pull through with the bat but ultimately you want to be scoring the bulk of your runs from the top six. If we don't do that, we don't deserve to win games. There's a sense of responsibility from the batting side of things." 

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