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| Full name | Geoffrey Miller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1952-09-08)8 September 1952 (age 72) Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Dusty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm offbreak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 12 August 1976 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 28 June 1984 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1986 | Derbyshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983/84 | Natal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Essex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Derbyshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Cheshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source:CricketArchive,18 July 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Geoffrey Miller,OBE (born 8 September 1952) is an English formercricketer, who played in 34Test matches and 25One Day Internationals for theEngland cricket team between 1976 and 1984. Nicknamed "Dusty",[1] he played forDerbyshire from 1973 to 1986,captaining the side from 1979 to 1981 (following the sudden resignation ofDavid Steele after six weeks in the role), and returned in 1990 after playing forEssex between 1987 and 1989.[2] He was an England selector from 2008 to 2013 and was appointed President of Derbyshire C.C.C. in March 2014. He was a part of the English squad which finished asrunners-up at the1979 Cricket World Cup.
The cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted, "Geoff Miller concedes that he probably enjoyed cricket too much. He did not take it as seriously as some, And when it became a rigorous, grim-faced business, he was not sorry to bow out of an eight-year Test career that never reached the peaks many expected".[2] LikewiseSimon Hughes referred to Miller in 1990 as being "the only remaining player who unfailingly visited the opposing team's dressing room after play to thank them for the game ... [and] the last man to field at slip with a whoopee cushion up his jumper"[3]
Born 8 September 1952,Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England[2] Miller was educated atChesterfield Grammar School.
Miller tells a story that when he was seven years-old, he awoke at 5am on January 10 1959: "I went downstairs because I heard a noise. My father was making a fire. I asked him what the noise was - he had the radio on. He told me that on the radio was the Ashes. This is England versus Australia, at cricket, in Australia. They're playing in Sydney. Fred Trueman was bowling to Norman O'Neil. He said: "Just think. One day, I could be listening to you playing for England, in Australia, for the Ashes."[4]
In 2016, Miller explained his nickname: "If your name is Miller or a Rhodes up north in England, then your nickname is always Dusty. A miller makes flour in a mill, so dusty. Nothing clever at all".[4]
From 1971 he was playing in Derbyshire Second XI and in young cricketer's teams. He made hisfirst-class debut for Derbyshire in July 1973, in a match againstSomerset, when he scored aduck in his only innings. He was theCricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year in 1976. Miller became Derbyshire captain in 1979, and in the1981 season, was a part of the Derbyshire side which won theNational Westminster Bank Trophy. Although not captain that day, Miller was at the wicket withColin Tunnicliffe to scramble the run they needed from the last ball in the final to secure victory.[5] Miller went to Essex in 1987, helping them to win the1989 Refuge Assurance Cup,[6] but returned to Derbyshire for his last first-class season in 1990,[2] when Derbyshire won theRefuge Assurance League. In 1991, he playedMinor counties cricket forCheshire.
Miller was a correct right-handed batsman and a reliable right-arm off-break bowler, taking 888 wickets in 283 first-class matches (1973–1990) and 278 wickets in 334 List A matches (1973–1994).[7] Notwithstanding his undoubted ability as a batsman, he only made two first-class centuries, although reaching 50 on 72 other occasions.
Miller made hisTest debut for England againstWest Indies in 1976. He took 60 wickets in thirty four Tests and 25 wickets in twenty five ODIs for England.[7] Unusually for a spin bowler, none of his 60 wickets were by astumping.[8] Miller never scored a test century despite twice coming extremely close scoring 98 against bothPakistan away in 1977/8 (not out) andIndia at home in 1982.[9]Wisden observed that on the first such occasion, Miller, "seeking his maiden first-class century" in his first Test overseas, "though inflicted with a heavy cold and streaming eyes, had batted for six hours without serious fault".[10] Later that winter he also made 89 in a Test againstNew Zealand at Christchurch, in spite of having to retire hurt part of the way through this innings.[11]
His best series for England however wasthe 1978-79 Ashes. No England bowler took more than his 23 wickets in this series, at a low average of 15.04. Miller also finished a respectable fifth on the England batting averages for this series, ahead of the likes ofGraham Gooch andGeoff Boycott, as England retainedthe Ashes against anAustralia weakened by absences due toWorld Series Cricket.[12] In the fifth test he shared a stand of 135 for the seventh wicket with his Derbyshire colleagueBob Taylor,[13] and in the following test (another England victory) he took his only Testfive-wicket haul, figures of 5 for 44.[14]
Miller played in 25one-day internationals for England and was part of the England squad for the1979 Cricket World Cup, although he only played in one match in the tournament, againstCanada.[1]Miller also touredAustralia in 1979-80 andWest Indies in 1980–1 with England (coming up against full-strength sides withWorld Series Cricket players restored) with less success. Onthe latter tour he did howevercaptain England to victory in one tour match against theLeeward Islands in March 1981, top-scoring with 91 not out in the first innings and taking 3 for 42 in the second.[15] IndeedWisden recorded of this tour that both England's only two first-class victories (the other being at the start of the tour against the West Indies Board President's XI in which Miller took match figures of 9 for 139)[16] "were largely won by Miller who, afterWillis's early departure, became a respected vice-captain. Yet he was kept out of the last three Tests by the presence of an outstanding off-spinner inEmburey, byWilley's success with the bat, and by his own illness in Jamaica".[17]
Miller played at Melbourne in the fourth test of the 1982/3 Ashes series, theBoxing Day Test. Australia needed only three runs to assure at least a tie, which would have regained themthe Ashes but with their last wicket standing.Ian Botham bowled toJeff Thomson who edged the ball to the slip cordon.Chris Tavaré dropped the catch only for Miller to retrieve the ball before it hit the ground, England thus winning by three runs.[18] However, the final test of the series ended in a draw, meaning Australia won the series 2-1 and anyway regained the Ashes.
Miller played his last Test match in 1984 against the West Indies atLord's.[19] Like most England players of his era he found the West Indies his toughest opponents, finishing on the losing side in each of his four Test matches against them.
Miller was elected as National Selector by theEngland and Wales Cricket Board in January 2008. He led a panel, which then containedAshley Giles,Peter Moores andJames Whitaker. He previously served on the panel of his predecessorDavid Graveney since 2000.
Miller also ranMoss & Miller, a sporting goods emporium in Chesterfield, withChesterfield F.C. footballerErnie Moss, for a number of years. He also became a popularafter-dinner speaker.[2]
He was appointed Officer of theOrder of the British Empire (OBE) in the2014 New Year Honours for services to cricket, following his retirement as an England selector at the end of 2013.[20][21]
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | Derbyshire cricket captain 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
