David Miller remains in South Africa’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup despite missing the upcoming ODI series against England, captain Temba Bavuma confirmed.
The 36-year-old last played international cricket during the Champions Trophy in March and signed a hybrid contract with Cricket South Africa earlier this year. Miller skipped the recent white-ball tour to Australia to play in The Hundred for Northern Superchargers and will also miss the ODIs in England, but he will return for the three-match T20I series starting September 10.
Bavuma explained that Miller’s commitments in The Hundred clashed with South Africa’s ODI preparations:
“What I understand is those communications were done during his contract times, in terms of him being available for the Hundred,” Bavuma said. “Essentially, he wasn’t available for selection. David’s still within the mix in the ODI stuff, if that answers your question.”
Miller will be 38 years old by the 2027 World Cup, but his ODI record remains impressive: an average of 42.30 and a strike rate of 103.68 across more than 150 innings. He also stood out in The Hundred, scoring 133 runs in five innings, including 14 sixes, four of them in just 10 balls during the Eliminator.
South Africa’s squad for the ODIs is otherwise full strength, although Matthew Breetzke and Kagiso Rabada will miss the opening game due to minor injuries. Heinrich Klaasen, part of the Champions Trophy semi-final squad, is unavailable after announcing his international retirement earlier this year.
Bavuma stressed that the bigger picture is preparing for 2027, when South Africa will co-host the World Cup with Zimbabwe and Namibia:
“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.”