David Miller announces retirement from first-class cricket

South African batsman David Miller has decided that he will no longer feature in first-class cricket, with an aim to strengthen his game and place in the limited-overs formats for the country.

Miller said that it was a tough decision for him to make, having apparently loved playing red ball cricket. He added that he would, however, like to pay attention to his international T20I and ODI careers, and as a result, would be calling it quits from his first-class career within South Africa.

"This is to make sure that I am in a position to give myself the best opportunity to play for the Proteas in the format that I love. This is an important decision for me, especially with the World Cup looming next year," explained.

Meanwhile, he also clarified that he will be available to play in limited-overs matches for his domestic side - as he has only quit from first-class games. He said: "I will be available to play for the Dolphins in all limited-overs competitions and will give it my all to help them win trophies this season."

Thabang Moore, CEO, Cricket South Africa (CSA) responded dejectedly at the latest piece of news, as quitting a first-class career also meant giving up on chances of playing in Tests. "It is disappointing to lose David from our pool of potential Test players," he said, before adding: "At the age of 29 he still has many years of good cricket left in him in all formats but at the same time, we have to understand that he wants to throw his full weight into helping the Proteas to win the ICC World Cup."

Moore was hopeful that Miller would resume his first-class career in due course, and spoke of wanting to see more of Miller in a format where he had previously displayed some "undeniable talent".

The left-handed middle-order batsman represents the Knights in South Africa's first-class competition. So far, he has accumulated 3342 runs in the format at an average of over 36, since his debut in 2008.

Miller is also one of the brightest prospects in the country's limited-overs setup, having performed brilliantly so far. He has garnered an amazing fan base in India as well, following his exploits with IPL side Kings XI Punjab, over the last few seasons.