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It was a pleasing sight to see Miller perform

by Richard Dwight

Through the years cricket derived its glory, mainly through the contributions of some exceptionally brilliant cricketers - men who believed, that it was deeds far more eloquent than words that gave the game a special kind of lustre, to lift it above the ordinary - enriching it when they played and, leaving it the poorer, when their playing days were over.

One such rare cricketer, undoubtedly without reservation was the classy all rounder, Keith Ross Miller, whose passing away last Monday will surely be mourned by many the world over.

Miller's association with cricket in Ceylon (as the country was then known) began way back in 1936 - when the Royal College Cricket team toured Australia. Pat McCarthy represented Royal and Keith Miller played for Melbourne High School, of which the former Australian Cricket Captain, W.M (Bill) Woodful was Headmaster.

Woodful was highly impressed with McCarthy's batting and fielding and the allround ability of Miller, which made him predict that they were future prospects for their respective countries.

Endowed with a tall, well set physique and blond mane, which he by habit kept pushing back while walking up to his bowling mark, made Miller attractive enough to enjoy wide appeal and popularity, that earned for him the apt sobriquet 'Glamour Boy of Cricket', in those distant vintage years.

He matched his fine personality with many a match winning performance for his state (NSW) as well as for Australia and, at times through his mercurial deeds with bat, ball or as a fielder, was able in a trice to change the fate of the game to his side's advantage.

In those strife torn battle scarred years of World War II, where Miller served in those mosquito planes as a fighter pilot in the air raids over Germany - it could have been a case of "Home they brought the warrior dead". But fortuitously for cricket, fate willed otherwise and Miller survived to become God's gift to the game.

With the days of war behind us, the world of cricket began to breathe again and Ceylon was fortunate to have a visit from an Australian Services team in 1945. Not much was known of them, they were at least for some of us an unknown quantity and, we as a people starved of international visits had to be 'thankful for small mercies' (beggars cant be choosers).

This being so there converged on the oval (the cradle of cricket in the island) a massive crowd. As a schoolboy I was perched precariously on a creaky plank, tied together with many others to form rows of tiers temporarily constructed opposite the dressing room and main stands.

I awaited the moment for play to begin. An elderly man sitting next to me said the one worth watching today would be Keith Miller, how true this turned out to be, for the flamboyant Miller, with much effervescence, made a belligerent 132, that had his name on the lips of that vast gathering.

That was not all, for when Lindsay Hassett led his team out to field, there was Cecil Pepper, Roper Whittington, Carmody, Pettiford and yet others. But it was easy to pick Miller amongst them, for he was a cut above all and stood out. The hand he had in dismissing Sathasivam in both innings is worth recounting here.

Sathasivam was elegance personified, with three quartered shirt sleeves, cream flannels, tight fitting pads and cap slightly tilted, he made his way to the wicket with the feeling no matter the opposition, that he was king.

Like minded Miller, welcomed this bravado challenging spirit of Satha, which led to his becoming a friend of Satha (for did he not in later years visit Satha in jail). Noticing Satha batting in his own characteristic stylish flourish and the evident flair to hook, Miller alerted Christofani on the line and deliberately bounced a little out of the leg stump, Satha instinctively went for his shot - the ball soared high in the fine leg region and lodged in the safe hands of Christofani, who hadn't to move.

In the second innings, Satha in grand elegance cut a ball from Pepper towards Miller in the second slip, the ball sped in a flash with lightening speed, almost along the ground, too quick indeed for the eye to follow and the crowds roared in applause for a certain four and looked towards the boundary line - Miller too, to keep it up, from his bent squatting position turned towards the line, as if to beckon the ball back.

Then it happened, there was a hushed silence, everybody kept still and Miller from the point of his ankle, tossed the ball for all to see, and up went the umpire's finger which was followed by greater applause.

Then came Bradman's team in 1948 for a whistle stop match at the Oval, Miller batting in haste on 48 thumped the ball viciously into the air and the ball soared higher and higher and Ivers Gunasekera keeping his eyes fixed on the ball steadied himself, mindful of the little boys squatting around his feet.

He gently raised one leg and took a brilliant catch, virtually standing on one leg. There was shades of Miller in Ivers too, when both of them played for the Commonwealth eleven against the M.C.C. in 1952 at the Colombo Oval. Both batsmen matched each other stroke for stroke and raced into the nineties, it's at this stage that the inner man in Miller came into play, for he quite unobtrusively in a subtle way slowed down for awhile his thirst for runs, to the extent that he allowed C.I. Gunasekera the son of the soil to score the hundred first.

The appreciative crowd tinged with emotion cheered lustily as Miller a few balls later reached his own ton, a fine gesture indeed. This is what Miller had to say of C.I. Gunasekara's knock "I was fortunate to have a close look at two great innings - those of my Australian Colleague Neil Harvey and Ceylon's own C.I. Gunasekera.

It was most fitting that in this unique game a man from the home country should have the honour of scoring the first century. Gunasekera's knock was a great one and it was a pleasure to watch him in action.

I was particularly impressed by his temperament. He did not let the occasion overawe him and he played his strokes with power. I can say very few top ranking cricketers put as much power behind their shots as Gunasekera does.

His secret lies in the heavy bat he wields (I would not be able to use it) and his perfect timming when he hit the ball, it travelled like a bullet."

As a pace bowler he did not huff and puff with sweat, gasping for breath after each ball was bowled, his action was poetry in motion with much rhythmic grace. He was known for his nonchalant cavalier batting and in the taking of catches as a photograph reveals, it was acrobatic.

Miller lived a full life with much fun and laughter and was the cynosure at any gathering be it at the race course, banquet halls, casinos or at any social function.

Having encountered the stress and strain of war, he comparatively said of cricket that it was just a game, notwithstanding this; it's a pity that the chance of captaining Australia did not come his. way Just two years ago, when a few Ceylonese cricketers visited him, he was feeble and before they took leave of him, he drew them close and whispered "never grow old".

Miller typified the ideal cricketer and proved wrong the thinking that such men only exist in fairy tales.

He was an ornament, that adorned the world of cricket and, when he did leave the batting crease for good, there was sadness all round and this sadness now deepens, when he departs from the earthly scene itself.

His mortal remains will be interred on Wednesday.

The mould in which he was cast is no more and the like of him, we'll not see again.

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