The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Hazare mourns Miller's death

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Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004

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Hazare mourns Miller's death

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, OCT. 11. Capt. Vijay Samuel Hazare and Keith Miller were good friends, though not as close as Miller and the late Denis Compton. After the 1947 series, Hazare and Miller had a pleasant meeting during the bicentenary match between England and Rest of the World at Lord's in 1987. They kept in touch with each other through letters until 1990, when Miller wrote to Hazare that he had regarded him as `one of the greatest batsmen he had seen and a true champion.'

Lala Amarnath's 1947 team, though trounced by Don Bradman and Australia, had a good time off the field and some of them such as Hazare and Miller carried the friendship beyond that tour. Hazare, now running 90, and living in Baroda, became sad when he heard that Miller died in Melbourne. "It's unfortunate. The world of cricket has lost a stalwart of the past,'' said Hazare who made 116 and 145 at Adelaide in 1947 against the likes of Ray Lindwall and Miller, the latter bowling only 18 overs in that memorable Test.

According to Hazare's grandson Kunal, his grandfather watched the Bangalore Test match. "Lindwall was a steady bowler, but Miller was the most unpredictable. His motto was to surprise the batsmen. He would come of a long run-up and bowl slower ones, and send down a flier off a short run up. Glenn McGrath is more like Lindwall,'' Hazare told his grandson.

Sir Len Hutton in `Just My Story' says that Miller was the most unpredictable. "Keith Miller is the most unpredictable cricketer I have played against. I am never quite sure what he is going to do next and I don't think he knows himself until he is about to do so.''

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