David Miller is eager to take on a more senior role in the Proteas T20 squad and is excited to work with the newcomers in the side. 

The 27-year-old has built up a remarkable reputation in the shortest format, lighting up stages domestically for the Knights, for the Proteas and his IPL franchise.

He has expressed his big-hitting form in ODI’s too, where his 107-run seventh-wicket partnership with Andile Phehlukwayo in the third ODI against Australia claimed the series for the Proteas with Miller smashing 118 of 79 balls. He took this form into the T20 Challenge for the Knights and in his second match of the tournament, smashed 120 off 61 balls. Only new Proteas recruit JJ Smuts managed a century in this year’s competition.

He’s played 46 T20Is at an average of 30.34, a strike rate of 135.80, including only one fifty. This record shows that Miller has yet to excel for the Proteas in the shortest format, but he believes that moving into a senior role has helped him mature as a player.

Miller will be working with six new recruits who have performed well domestically and despite being one of the candidates for the interim captain position, due to his six games as skipper for Kings XI Punjab, congratulated Farhaan Behardien for his appointment as captain.

‘It’s been pretty exciting,’ said Miller. ‘There are a lot of new caps, they’ve done really well in the domestic format. They all deserve to be here and get a chance to play for their country.

‘Fudgie [Behardien] is captaining and it’s a huge honour and privilege for him. We’re right behind him and I feel that I can add a lot of value even if I am not the captain. So I just want to keep try adding value with the youngsters – learning from them and also being an example, as a senior player. There’s been a process the last few years of my game, I feel like I’ve grown and learnt a lot. But I’m looking really forward to getting back this week.’

The first T20 between the Proteas and Sri Lanka gets underway on Friday at Centurion.