Hobart Hurricanes sign South Africa star David Miller for Big Bash

The left-hander holds the unusual distinction of having played 126 ODIs without ever appearing in a Test match for the Proteas

Hobart Hurricanes have signed South Africa batsman David Miller for the upcoming Big Bash season.

The 30-year-old will be available for all 14 group-stage games for Adam Griffith’s side, before returning to South Africa for the white-ball phase of their series against England.

The left-hander holds the unusual distinction of having played 126 ODIs without ever appearing in a Test match for the Proteas.

As something of a short-form specialist – he has not played first-class cricket since March 2018, Miller has played in T20 competitions worldwide, including spells with Kings XI Punjab, Chittagong Kings, Durban Heat and Glamorgan.

He batted just four times during the summer’s World Cup, making scores between 31 and 38 as South Africa bowed out at the end of the group stage. In 2018, he struck the most recent of his five ODI centuries, making 139 off 108 deliveries against Australia at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena.

With Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott – all key cogs in Hobart’s batting in recent Big Bash campaigns – potentially missing large chunks of the competition due to international commitments, Miller’s experience will be key.

^{David Miller has made five ODI centuries}

The announcement of his signing also acts as final confirmation that Jofra Archer, who spent the last three seasons with Hurricanes, will not be returning to Tasmania for this year’s edition of the tournament.

Afghan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad, who played for the side in the semi-final last season as a late injury replacement for Tymal Mills, has already signed for the upcoming campaign as the team's second overseas player.

“It’s very exciting to welcome a player of David’s calibre to the Hurricanes,” said Cricket Tasmania chief executive Nick Cummins.

“We’ve built a reputation as a destination club amongst internationals, and we are confident David’s hard-hitting batting will give our members and fans great entertainment, and possibly a few opportunities to catch a six.

“We expect to lose some batting experience throughout the season, so David will provide valuable runs in our drive to our third successive finals campaign.”

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