David Miller missed Paarl Royals’ previous game and if he’s ruled out of the Champions Trophy, we take a look at five possible replacements South Africa can consider.
South Africa might be in a spot of bother for the Champions Trophy 2025 with question marks over David Miller’s fitness.
The 35-year old walked off the pitch during Paarl Royals’ clash against Durban’s Super Giants due to groin injury and missed the following game against Joburg Super Kings.
If Miller gets ruled out of the Champions Trophy, it will be another blow to South Africa’s title hopes with Anrich Nortje already sidelined.
David Miller is one of the best white-ball players South Africa has ever produced, with 4490 runs in ODIs at an average of 41.57 and strike rate of 102.98. In the last 10 years, among batters with minimum 1900 runs batting at number 4-7, only Jos Buttler, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Heinrich Klaasen and Miller have over 40 average at over 100 strike rate. Filling that void won’t be easy for South Africa but if need be, here are five potential replacements.
Kyle Verreynne would be the front runner for the replacement, being a regular part of the South African Test side and decent experience in ODIs. Verreynne has played 17 ODIs so far, making 488 runs at an average of 37 and strike rate of 88, including five fifties. The 27-year old has also been in decent form in the ongoing SA20 in a struggling Pretoria Capitals batting unit.
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David Bedingham has looked in good touch in the SA20 but it is his List A record that warrants him a call-up. He has over 1600 runs in 42 One-Day matches at an average of 45 while striking at 108. He has registered six centuries and nine half centuries in the format. Bedingham can bat anywhere in the batting order and has a solid technique, making him an appealing option.
Dewald Brevis took the cricket world by storm with his 2022 Under-19 World Cup performance but hasn’t lived up to the potential yet. He does have a pretty decent List A record with 667 runs from 21 games at an average of 41.68 while striking at 96. Brevis hasn’t got much time in the middle for MI Cape Town in the SA20 but scored 57 off 29 earlier in a tough situation.
Donovan Ferreira is also rated highly for his talent and could be a good punt in the Champions Trophy 2025. Naturally a lower middle order batter, Ferreira has an impressive record in List A cricket. He has 661 runs from 22 matches at an average of 39 and strike rate of 130. If South Africa want more firepower in the batting, Ferreira could be a good option.
The Paarl Royals batter doesn’t have much hype around him but certainly passes the eye test, with some of his shots even resembling Miller himself. His List A record looks solid, having scored over 1200 runs at an average of 49 and strike rate of 81. Herman has scored 215 runs from six innings in the ongoing SA20 at 36 average and 134 strike rate, including two half centuries.
