Miller reluctantly passes up the chance to renew Yorkshire link

Miller, whose runs took Yorkshire to within a whisker of winning last year’s competition, said he wanted to come back but felt that he needed a break due to a hectic period of travelling and cricket.

The 24-year-old left-hander, who is currently playing for South Africa in the Champions Trophy, recently finished a stint with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League and is part of his country’s squad for a one-day tour to Sri Lanka that starts on July 20.

Miller would only have been available for the first six of Yorkshire’s 10 group games due to that tour and although the club are exploring the possibility of signing a replacement, they have nothing lined up at this late stage, with their fixtures commencing on June 28.

Yorkshire first-team coach Jason Gillespie said he was disappointed that Miller would not be returning but said he fully understood the player’s decision.

“We are a little bit disappointed that Dave’s not going to join us but we fully understand the reasoning,” said Gillespie.

“He’s been away from home a long time, about three months, due to the IPL and his commitments with South Africa, and he’s got this tough tour to Sri Lanka coming up.

“I had a good chat with Dave and he was completely honest with me, saying that he really wanted to come back but that he felt he needed a break.

“Myself and Martyn Moxon (Yorkshire’s director of cricket) discussed the situation and we came to the conclusion that if the lad is feeling like that, and he feels he needs a break, that he’s probably not going to be as much value.”

Miller was certainly full value last year.

He was Yorkshire’s leading Twenty20 run-scorer with 390 at 48.75, while his unbeaten 72 against Hampshire in the final at Cardiff almost took Yorkshire to a famous win.

Along with Mitchell Starc, the Australian pace bowler who took 21 wickets at 10.38, Miller was a major reason why the club reached their first Finals Day.

Gillespie said there were no hard feelings towards the player and expressed hope that he would return to Headingley in seasons to come.

“Dave loves Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” said Gillespie.

“We’re in touch with him every week; he developed a great rapport with the players and coaching staff when he was here and he’s great friends with the lads.

“Hopefully, somewhere down the track, if the opportunity fits, we will see him back in a Yorkshire shirt. Whether that’s next year, the year after, or whatever, he’s a guy we value as a player and as a person and we’d love him to be a part of Yorkshire’s future.”

Gillespie said Yorkshire were considering replacements but admitted no signing was in the offing.

Echoing the mantra much beloved of football managers, he said there would be no point in signing someone just for the sake of it.

“We’ll explore opportunities but that’s not to say that we’re actually going to go down that path,” he added.

“If an opportunity arises and someone’s able to come in and is committed, then it’s something we’ll consider.

“But, if that doesn’t happen, then we’re quite comfortable going into the competition with the players that we’ve got. We wouldn’t just want to get anyone in – it would have to be a game-changer.”

Without Miller and Starc, it will be hard for Yorkshire to repeat their success of last summer, when their achievement in reaching the final was rewarded with an appearance in the Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa.

But Gillespie is adamant Yorkshire have still got the talent to make an impression.

“We’ve got quality players and plenty of options,” he added.

“Ryan Sidebottom, for example, didn’t play the whole tournament last year; he got injured part-way through and we see him as a real important member of our T20 side.

“Obviously we recruited Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks during the winter and they can potentially be real impact players for us.

“We’ve also got Azeem Rafiq to come back and we’re targeting the first T20 game against Derbyshire to get him back into the first team.

“A lot of players stepped up last year and I’ve got no doubt they can do so again.”