David Miller eyes 2027 World Cup trophy to finish South Africa career on high

South Africa batter David Miller hopes to finish his career with a World Cup trophy, targeting the 2027 edition on home soil. The veteran middle-order batter also reflected on his IPL triumph with Gujarat Titans and memorable pressure-filled centuries

New Delhi: South Africa’s veteran middle-order batter David Miller has expressed his deep desire to finish his career by lifting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 on home soil, adding that he remains driven to secure the ultimate prize in familiar conditions.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from October 4 to November 21, 2027. South Africa are yet to win an ODI World Cup and South Africa reached the semi-finals in 2023, before losing to Australia in the semi-final in Kolkata.

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“Yeah, I am really looking forward to it. For me, it’s a goal that I want to achieve. I would love to finish off late in my career with a trophy. So, for me, it’s a goal that I would love to be a part of that World Cup team. It’s something that is never guaranteed, and I’ll definitely, from now until then, be focused on aiming to make that team and to contribute the best I can.

“Obviously, it will be very special, being at home in front of our fans and in a place that I’ve played for so many years. So, it would be fantastic to be a part of that team,” Miller told JioStar.

Miller, who scored 166 runs in eight matches for Southern Brave in The Hundred 2026, opened up about his longevity and the art of finishing matches with aplomb. “Probably the fact that I’ve made a career by batting in the middle order and finishing games; that would be something I’m most proud of.

“It’s something that takes a long time to kind of conquer and master. I’m still learning all the time, but at least I’ve had a long career in that department, and I’ve really enjoyed going about chasing innings, especially.”

Having spent over a decade in the IPL, Miller singled out his title-winning run with Gujarat Titans in 2022 as his best moment of being in the competition. “My favourite moment in the IPL… there have been many, but we obviously play to win, so definitely winning the IPL for Gujarat Titans would be that.”

Asked about the performances he holds closest to his heart, Miller picked two pressure-packed centuries – one in the IPL and another against Australia. “I think the 101 that I scored against RCB, the fact that it was a chase, chasing down a score and scoring a hundred, my first hundred in the IPL, my first T20 hundred, was a knock that felt the most rewarding.

“I think there was a lot at stake there, and it kind of set my career up if I look back at it now. Then there was another knock that I’ll always remember as well, the one in Durban against Australia. We chased down a score there as well and I scored a hundred, 118 not out or something. So, those two knocks under pressure, scoring hundreds, they’ll always kind of stand out,” he concluded.