David Miller holds the record for the fastest century in IPL among the active batters having smashed an unbeaten 38-ball 101 for Kings XI Punjab against RCB in 2013.
A hard-hitting left-hander, Miller, 34, has established himself as a finisher over the years, more recently with Gujarat Titans in the IPL. The torrent of high scores in this edition has left the South African baffled and worried about the fate of the bowlers. He attributes it to a “change in the mindset of batters”.
“Obviously, the scores you’ve seen nowadays, it’s ridiculous... The mindset of the batters has definitely changed in IPL, and what that’s due to I’m not quite sure, but the Impact Player obviously makes a big difference.
“Just generally, the mindset of batters has kind of, you know, the roof has been blown off... the sky’s the limit now with guys scoring runs and, I mean, there’s definitely going to be a 300 around the corner,” Miller told The Telegraph from Ahmedabad on Saturday.
“I suppose the game has definitely changed and evolved, but it also allows opportunities for the bowlers to make a difference.”
Does he feel bad for the bowlers? “Yeah definitely, I do,” said Miller.
“I think it’s really tough. Like the wickets are good... the margins are so small, you know if guys execute it to the best of their abilities, they can actually limit the runs.
“But it’s very difficult to do that on a consistent basis. If you just miss your mark as a bowler, you can go for a six. So you kind of have to be on the execution every single ball, which obviously is not generally possible, and it creates issues for the bowlers.
“But it’s an opportunity for the bowlers to step up and to look for an opportunity to change the game in one or two overs if they do execute.”
Miller thinks it will not be the same in the T20 World Cup because of the conditions.
“I always talk about different conditions and the wickets are really good in India for T20 cricket. Conditions may be different in America and the Caribbean... Generally a little bit slower. There are some really nice wickets in the Caribbean, but generally a little bit slower.
“It will aid a bit more spin. So it might be a bit challenging to score the runs that teams are doing here in the IPL. But look, I mean the guys are definitely going to give it a crack and see what they can do in the World Cup,” Miller said.
“We’ll get some really high scores, but yeah things might be a bit different because there will be no Impact Player.”
He is all for restoring a level playing field for the batters and the bowlers..
“I’m not a fan of the Impact Player rule and I must be honest with you,” Miller said.
“The game of cricket is hard enough as it is now. We are creating more players and more options... more batters and I just feel like it’s just not really fair.
“There’s a few things that I don’t agree with. The no-ball rule as well. The way above the waist high. Like I also think if it’s missing the stumps on the full, it should just be a no-ball.
“Whether it’s Temba Bavuma’s heart or Marco Jansen’s heart, it should still just be a set rule because then it’s consistent. That’s just my opinion.
“This impact rule has created a whole different wave of batters. And as I said, the mindsets have changed, so probably that would be the difference.”
