Player Watch: Colin Ingram and Dave Miller Print E-mail
Category: Player Watch
Written by Luke Tagg   
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 16:39
I've been worrying of late about the future. Not the threat of terrorism, growing older, climate change, piles or the A-bomb - the future of South African cricket.

Jacques Kallis has been around since the early 1930s and he's going to have to retire at some stage. When that happens we'll be up shit creek without a paddle, a canoe or even a creek.

It's not many countries that can boast a batsmen with over 10,000 runs in Test and ODI cricket, to go with 250 wickets in each as well.

Oh hang on, that's right - there aren't any. That record belongs to Jakes alone. Suck it, Punter.

The man is irreplaceable considering his allround stats, but in latter years his bowling hasn't been anywhere near as important as his batting, even if it does give the team good balance.

Although there is a definite need for more quality spinners in South African cricket, we have pretty decent back-up bowling. What we really need when Jakes leaves, adorned with medals and heavy with fridges, is another good batsman.

Fortunately for South Africa, two young hitters come readily to mind: Colin Ingram and Dave Miller.

First things first: stop them from going to England. Ever. Now that that's out of the way, allow me to introduce two potential stars of South African cricket in the future.

Both are left-handed batsmen and both were recently selected in South Africa's provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May.

I don't expect either of them to go to the World Cup, but their selection in the provisional squad is a sure sign that the selectors are as onto these guys as I am. To quote a fave fictional serial killer, Mallory Knox: "There's no escapin' here."

I haven't seen much of either of them in first-class cricket, largely because SuperSport's coverage of their own series was underwhelming. Both have promising stats in first-class cricket, but I'm far more interested in their limited overs abilities.

Here's why I rate both so highly:

Colin Ingram
Age: 24
From: Port Elizabeth
Team: Warriors
Role: Left-hand bat

Ingram has been knocking around since the 2004/5 season, when he made his first-class and List A debuts for the Warriors. He made his Twenty20 debut in 2007.

It wasn't until this season that he really came to be noticed, however, especially after the inaugural MTN40 List A season in which he ended up the leading run-scorer.

He made 600 runs at 60.00 in the competition, which was 103 runs more than the next-best batter, Jacques Rudolph. He batted at a strike rate of 103.62 and posted an unbeaten century and five half-centuries in 12 innings.

Below him on the run-scoring list, having played a similar number of innings, were such luminaries as Rudolph, Herschelle Gibbs, Morne van Wyk, Neil McKenzie, Rilee Rossouw and Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Serious class, yet they never came close.

The Warriors went on to win the MTN40 when international stars returned, but it was largely Ingram who got them to the final in the first place. His 125* in the final pool game against the Lions got the Warriors into the semi-finals, after which Jacques Kallis and Prince took over to bring home the bacon and the trophy.

He hits them clean, big and a very long way. I've seen him open the batting but I think he's better at No. 3 or 4 - too good a player to be risked as an opener.

As if the MTN40 wasn't enough, Ingram is currently the highest run-scorer in the Standard Bank Pro20 as well. His 258 runs in six games have come at the crazy average of 51.60, to go with a top class strike rate of 145.76.

When you're hitting a half-century per game at 145 over an extended period of time, you're in world class company. Hell - they're in your company.

I hope it's not too long before we see Ingram in national colours - if I was him I'd be targeting the World Cup in India next year. He's too fresh for the World Twenty20, unfortunately. You need experience in spades to win that one.

Being a leftie is also helpful, as is the confidence he seems to have in abundance. He's cocky without being arrogant, dashing but never careless.

A big future. Particularly if he bats alongside the next guy:

Dave Miller
Age: 20
From: Pietermaritzburg
Team: Dolphins
Role: Left-hand bat

As with Ingram, Miller has had a brilliant season this year in all forms of cricket. He hasn't achieved quite the highs Ingram has, but he's been playing in a pretty weak side and has had very little support.

His debuts in all forms of cricket came in the 2008 season, but it was this season that really ignited his career.

He made 366 runs in the MTN40 at 40.66, with the best strike rate of any batsman who scored over 300 runs: 125.34. Herschelle Gibbs hit the most sixes in that competition - 20 - followed by Colin Ingram's 16 and Dave Miller's 15.

The Dolphins, incredibly, made the final against the Warriors, thanks to a good semi-final against the Titans. Miller was instrumental in getting the Dolphins into a position to steal a place in the semis, a scenario that had looked very unlikely.

Only one player in the SB Pro20 - Morne van Wyk - has a better average in that competition than Miller. Although the Dolphins didn't win a single game in the SB Pro20, Miller excelled, scoring 159 runs at 53.00 with a strike rate of 133.61.

He's still young, but already carries the air of a man who is going places. The same confident air found in South African exports like Kevin Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter.

He's a clean hitter of the ball in the middle order and a partnership between him and Ingram would be something to watch.

My advice to him would be to get the hell out of Durban - he needs to be playing for a side that has the potential to be in the Champions League Twenty20, where international exposure awaits.

South Africa has a lot of good hitters around, so it could take a while for Miller to make his national debut. The good news is: that day will come.

Ingram and Miller are part of a new breed of cricketer that is emerging: confident, clean hitters who are ideally suited to limited overs cricket, and who apparently have no fear. Think players like Dave Warner of Australia, Rohit Sharma from India, Eoin Morgan from England and any given youngster from Pakistan.

I hope they get good guidance and have their careers managed well, because I reckon both are in for the long haul.

Player Profiles on Cricinfo: Colin Ingram | Dave Miller
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