David Miller hails Yorkshire's winning team spirit

9:21pm Sunday 1st July 2012

By Graham Hardcastle

David Miller, Yorkshire’s specialist Twenty20 overseas signing, has hailed the impact of his team-mates in helping him settle at Headingley.

The South African youngster, aged 23, is one of world cricket’s new breed of player, someone who has by and large built a reputation by playing Twenty20 cricket around the world.

A hard hitting left-handed batsman, Miller has played cricket’s shortest format for six different teams during his fledgling career, including his country, and three alone in the current calendar year.

He has played for home franchise the Dolphins in South Africa since the turn of the year as well as the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League and now, of course, Yorkshire.

Not too long ago, it would have inconceivable that a player could play for his country at any level having made such a modest impact in first-class cricket.

In his 35 matches to date – of which two have been for KwaZulu-Natal in the second tier of SA domestic cricket – he has scored only six fifties and two hundreds in 56 innings, averaging a tad under 29.

But he has an impressive Twenty20 record, and his average of 35.72 from 58 matches is better than all but three of the world’s top 20 leading run-scorers in this format.

He has handsomely enhanced both his statistics and his reputation during his spell at Yorkshire, which has been a roaring success so far.

And he puts a lot of that down to being made to feel at home in the White Rose dressing room.

“It can be difficult going from one dressing room to another so quickly, and at times I doubt myself,” admitted Yorkshire’s newest recruit.

“I did it last year when I went from six weeks at the IPL to a month at Durham, and it’s pretty much the same this year.

“But the boys have made it so much easier for me to settle in. I really must give a hands up to them and the management, who have been great to me too. It’s all I can ask for. I’m thoroughly enjoying my time here.

“My motto is to keep being a team man. I’ve got to do whatever I can for the team and hopefully contribute. Getting that score (74 not out at Durham) was a massive help for me. It settled my nerves.”

Miller, meanwhile, may have to convince the South African ‘A’ team selectors and coaches to allow him to play for Yorkshire at Twenty20 Finals Day if they qualify.

He is due to tour Ireland with his country’s second string in late August and early September.

Miller will fly back to South Africa on July 10 before returning to England ahead of a likely quarter-final on July 24 or 25.

He would then travel to Ireland for two one-day and four T20 internationals against the full Irish team in late August and early September.

There are no matches scheduled for August 25, the date of Finals Day at Cardiff, but he would still need permission from his country to rejoin his county.