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3 washouts for Heat leaves Miller frustrated

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David Miller (Gallo Images)
David Miller (Gallo Images)

Cape Town - The rain seems to follow the poor Durban Heat everywhere, even when they leave the familiar surroundings of Kingsmead, which they again experienced in Centurion against the Tshwane Spartans on Thursday.

Their three washouts and one defeat leave them second bottom on the table and batsman David Miller is not happy.

"It's very, very frustrating because obviously we just haven't got going," he lamented. "I think that's probably the biggest thing.

"We lost the one game that we did play so we're obviously a little behind the eight ball."

However, Miller is keeping his chin up ahead of their trip to Port Elizabeth where they will take on Nelson Mandela Bay Giants at St George's Park on Saturday.

"Chatting to a few of the guys like Dane Vilas for instance, he pointed out that the Stars won one game out of five last year and they ended up winning the comp," he continued. "So we're definitely not out of the comp and there's definitely still a lot to play for.

"We just need to get on to the park and get some games going. So it is frustrating but we are prepping as well as we can. There's nothing much we can do about the weather to be fair."

Despite their woes, Miller is still enjoying the Mzansi Super League (MSL) experience.

"It's always cool to be part of this comp. There's just a different sort of feel to it," he said.

"There's some seriously good players from around the world as well as the Proteas so there's good vibes. But it's never easy when you're not playing and we just need to get on the field and get the opportunity to produce."

Top of the standings Giants captain Jon-Jon Smuts is hoping all his players continue to contribute during the MSL, just as they have been doing during the opening four rounds of the competition.

What has stood out for Smuts is that no one single player is exceling for his team.

"The big thing about T20 cricket is that you can have one or two individuals stand up and win you games," he said. "But when you have a team like ours that put in a really big performance all round like they did in the last game it's really pleasing to see.

"I always say that when you're playing well as a unit then that's even better. Something is going to happen for you."

Four of the top five bowling averages are held by Giants' players - Junior Dala, Chris Morris, Onke Nyaku and Imran Tahir - while Smuts and Australian Ben Dunk fill the top two spots among the batting averages.

"I don't want to say you are relying on someone else, but you always know that there's someone that's got your back. Someone that's there behind you that you can back 100 percent," said the skipper.

"If you do have those individuals scoring in every game it makes you wonder what everyone else is kind of doing. So for us it's really exciting that everyone is contributing."

Squad:

Nelson Mandela Bay Giants

Imran Tahir, Jason Roy, Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Junior Dala, Matthew Breetzke, Onke Nyaku, Ben Dunk, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Beuran Hendricks, Grant Thomson, Akhona Mnyaka, Nandre Burger, Dylan Matthews

Durban Heat 

Andile Phehlukwayo, Alex Hales, David Miller, Dane Vilas (capt), Ravi Bopara, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Abbott, Khaya Zondo, Marco Jansen, Daryn Dupavillon, Sarel Erwee, Malusi Siboto, Prenelan Subrayen, Wihan Lubbe, Shaun von Berg, Wesley Marshall

- Cricket South Africa

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