David Miller may be watching South Africa’s one-day series in England from the sofa, yet he has not disappeared off the radar for the 2027 World Cup. Captain Temba Bavuma made that point more than once when the squad gathered in Durham on Monday.
Key facts first.
• Miller, 36, last played for South Africa at the Champions Trophy in March.
• He signed a hybrid CSA deal, allowing him to take part in the Hundred.
• That tournament ended on Saturday; Northern Superchargers bowed out in the Eliminator.
• Because of that overlap he was not available for the three-match ODI leg, starting Tuesday.
• He will, however, slot straight back in for the T20Is that begin on 10 September.
Asked whether leaving out an experienced finisher weakens the side, Bavuma offered a straight answer. “What I understand is that those communications were done during his contract times, in terms of him being available during this period for the Hundred,” he said. “Essentially, he wasn’t available for selection – but I stand by correction around that… David’s still within the mix in the ODI stuff, if that answers your question.”
The skipper then spelt out the timing clash. “The Australia tour would’ve coincided with the Hundred. I guess any international commitments that occurred during the Hundred, David wasn’t available for. Unfortunately, the one-day [series], it clashes: he wasn’t part of our build-up. But then with the T20 stuff, the Hundred is done, he’ll fall back into the team.”
That build-up included a short camp in Johannesburg and a practice match in Derby. Coaches felt springing Miller straight into an England ODI without even a nets session in South African kit was a step too far. England, for comparison, will fly five players in from Sunday’s Hundred final, but they had been integrated into Jos Buttler’s wider white-ball plans all summer.
Numbers still favour Miller’s long-term case. In 164 ODI innings he averages 42.30 at a strike-rate a shade above 103, figures that slot neatly into a modern No. 5 role. During the Hundred he managed 133 runs in five knocks and peppered the stands – 14 sixes in 71 balls, four of them in a 10-ball burst during Saturday’s Eliminator. Selectors know that kind of late-overs power will be handy on the high-altitude surfaces likely at the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. By then he will be 38, an age plenty of white-ball specialists navigate successfully these days.
For now, Bavuma’s touring squad looks a touch leaner than it did at the Champions Trophy. Heinrich Klaasen’s retirement removed one seasoned middle-order option, though Kyle Verreynne has been earmarked to keep wicket and bat in the top six. Kagiso Rabada and Matthew Breetzke will sit out Tuesday’s opener with minor niggles; management say both could feature later in the week.
The series itself is a staging post on a longer journey. “That’s the bigger picture… But we’d like to bring ourselves back to here and what we need to do to be successful in England,” Bavuma noted, keen to balance forward planning with the immediate challenge of English conditions and a well-oiled opposition.
A three-nothing result either way will not decide a World Cup four years away, yet it will feed into selection debates – including how often South Africa can afford to let premier players chase franchise deals. Miller’s absence highlights that tension. His return for the T20s will, in theory, restore the old finishing firepower. Perform there, and the “mix” Bavuma keeps mentioning will stay a lively one.
