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Miller powers SA 'A' to victory

Cape Town - A David Miller century has powered South Africa 'A' home by five wickets against the National Performance Squad (NPS), handing the tourists just their second victory of the series.

Miller - who was the stand-in captain in the absence of Heino Kuhn - played a captain’s innings, chasing down the required 288 with 21 balls to spare.

The left-hander scored an unbeaten 125 from 104 balls and seemed a batsman possessed as he pounced on anything over-pitched and gave the Harrup Park pavilion some cause for concern.

Astonishingly, Miller, who earned the Player of the Match award, was bowled on 31 by NPS captain Matthew Short, but umpire John Ward signalled a no-ball for overstepping the crease, with Miller dispatching the ensuing free hit for six.

Miller went from strength to strength after the reprieve, combining with Qaasim Adams (44) and Dane Vilas (45 not out) for two match-winning stands in the middle overs.

Earlier in the day, Sam Heazlett repeated the free-flowing feats of the last encounter between these two sides, top scoring for the home side with a balanced 73 from 63 balls, in tandem with Caleb Jewell (63).

Queenslander Matthew Renshaw (14) set the pace early with some powerful stroke play before Heazlett took up the cause, combining with Jewell for a 115-run stand.

South Africa 'A' spin bowler Tabraiz Shamsi was the main contributor with the ball for the tourists, claiming 2-68.

South Africa 'A' and the NPS were both unable to make Sunday’s final despite a win, with these two squads to meet again for a third-place playoff on Saturday at Harrup Park.
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