By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
David Miller looked towards the crowd at the Wanderers after reaching his century and found the person he wanted to acknowledge.
His mother, Jenny, was there.
Her name was on his shirt, replacing his own as part of Pink Day’s tribute to breast cancer survivors. A few minutes later, Miller was still batting, still attacking, and South Africa were building a total Australia would struggle to chase.
By the time he was dismissed for 142 from 93 balls, with 12 fours and nine sixes, the moment had become something much bigger than a cricket score.
“It was really emotional,” Miller said afterwards. “I don’t think my mom has stopped crying for the last 24 hours.”
She had plenty of reasons to.
Jenny is a breast cancer survivor, and this year’s Pink Day carried a more personal meaning for the Miller family. Every South African player wore the name of a survivor or fighter on the back of their shirt. For the 37 year old Miller, the oldest player in the Proteas squad, there could hardly have been a more fitting name than his mother’s.
“It’s been a tough couple of years, and to celebrate the challenges they’ve been through on a day like this makes it really special for them,” he said.
“She said to me earlier, ‘I don’t have enough makeup today because it keeps falling off!’ They’re very happy and proud. They’ve been there from day one for me, so it’s obviously very special.”
The cricket gave the emotion somewhere to go.
South Africa had lost an early wicket when Aiden Markram was caught first ball, then saw Quinton de Kock depart with the score on 36 for 2. Temba Bavuma steadied the innings before Matthew Breetzke fell for 20, bringing Miller to the crease with work to do.
What followed was the kind of innings that has defined Miller’s international career.
He and Bavuma added 156 for the fourth wicket, with Bavuma making 103, his first ODI century at the Wanderers. Miller reached his hundred from 73 balls, then accelerated violently in the final stages.
He struck 39 runs from his next 20 deliveries.
Marco Jansen added 75 to the momentum before South Africa closed on 365 for 9, their highest total of the series. Australia were eventually bowled out for 333, giving the Proteas a 32 run victory and a 2-0 lead.
Miller’s innings was the centrepiece. It was also the highest score of his ODI career.
He had gestured towards his mother after reaching three figures. There was no need for a grand celebration. The name on his back said enough.
Pink Day has been running for 14 years and has become one of South African cricket’s most distinctive fixtures, raising money and awareness for breast cancer research and treatment. South Africa have now won 10 of the 14 matches.
This one, though, belonged to Miller and Jenny. “It’s been a really cool day having my mom and dad here supporting,” he said. “Topping it off with Man of the Match and doing well makes it extra special, more so for her.”
The timing of the innings also matters.
Miller remains outside Cricket South Africa’s nationally contracted group and, at 37, is competing with a younger generation for a place in the side that will defend home advantage at the 2027 World Cup.
Tristan Stubbs, Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis represent the next wave. Miller knows the competition is real.
“There’s no guarantee of making a World Cup, there never is,” he said. “There’s a lot of hard work I personally need to put in and keep contributing.”
That is the other thread running through his story.
There is the veteran who has already given South Africa years of service. Then there is the player still trying to prove, every time he walks out, that he belongs among the names being considered for the next major tournament.
“Every single game for me, whether for South Africa or domestically, I just want to contribute in the best way that I can and make an impact,” Miller said.
On Sunday, he did exactly that.
Speaking to Fullview South Africa after the match, Miller made it clear that he would prefer to bat at No. 5 in the Proteas line up , where he believes the extra time at the crease would allow him to settle and have a greater influence on the innings. He has spent much of his career at No. 6, though, and stressed that he is comfortable wherever the team needs him.
The adjustment from T20 cricket to the 50 over game is a different challenge. Miller has spent years travelling the world and playing franchise cricket, but ODI’s demand patience and the ability to repeatedly reset as the innings develops. As the senior figure in South Africa’s middle order, much of that responsibility now rests with him. He has to absorb pressure, judge the tempo of the innings and still have enough left in the tank to finish strongly.
Miller was able to do just that against Australia.
For South Africa, the 142 helped secure a series victory over Australia. For Miller, it was something more intimate: a career best played with his mother’s name on his back, in front of his mother, on a day created to honour women who have faced the same disease.
There are bigger innings in cricket. For Miller, there may not be a more meaningful one.