Miller insists Proteas not shying away from nasty World Cup past: 'We're resetting the clock'

• David Miller insists that the Proteas are not shying away from their horrid World Cup past ahead of their opening T20 World Cup clash.
• Miller says that South Africa will be implementing their blueprint, which has seen the team secure three consecutive T20 series wins.
• The Proteas have never reached a World Cup final as they look to surprise many in the Middle East this year.

Proteas star batsman David Miller says that the Proteas are not shying away from their past World Cup disappointments ahead of their opening T20 World Cup on Saturday.

The Proteas are in a tough Group 1 alongside Australia, England, West Indies and two qualifiers that are yet to be determined.

South Africa have never contested a World Cup final - their only title coming in 1998 at the ICC Knockout (now known as the Champions Trophy).

Unwittingly or not, they are widely known for their misfortunes at ICC events, and at the T20 World Cup, it's no different as the side lost in two semi-finals - 2009 against Pakistan and 2014 against India.

Both those matches were notable for the Proteas throwing away winning positions. 

It explains why, in the build-up to every showpiece event, South African players and coaches are asked about their heartbreaking history at these tournaments.

On Monday, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was in the hot seat and stated that he didn't like to talk about the Proteas past.

However, two days later, South Africa's most experienced T20 cricketer, Miller, embraced the elephant in the room.

Miller, who is competing in his third T20 World Cup for the Proteas, stated that they're looking to reset the clock in this year's rescheduled T20 World Cup in the UAE.

"Each team is different to how you take it on. On the positive side of things, we have experience and some match-winners. From my side, I don't like to overthink the past and take on baggage," Miller told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

"There's a famous old saying that Hashim (Amla) used to say to me, 'You're always as good as your next game.' It's about resetting the clock and the mind, trying to control the present by preparing well.

"Yes, there are chats about the past and this and that, but it's about controlling what we can think of in the moment. It's a cliche, but it helps."

Miller insists that his side aren't shying away from their baggage.

"It's difficult to win a World Cup, only one team can win so things have to go your way," said Miller.

"Yes, in the past, things haven't gone our way, but it isn't something that we are shying away from. We realise it's a great opportunity to change our lives - not only as a team but for ourselves."

Despite their World Cup woes, the Proteas head into the rescheduled World Cup with three consecutive T20 series wins against West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka.

In their first warm-up match on Monday, Miller made an unbeaten 20 in the Proteas' 27-run win against Afghanistan. South Africa will compete in their second warm-up against Pakistan on Wednesday at 16:00 SA time. 

Miller sees the inexperience in the Proteas camp as an opportunity as they look to implement Mark Boucher's blueprint.

"There's been a lot of chat about our inexperienced team, but I see it as a great opportunity. We've got X-factor players, who have played all around the world and even the less experience have played domestically," said Miller.

"If we can control what we can control, we can hopefully go a long way in the competition and achieve what we want to set.

"We're going into this competition with a clear game plan and blueprint over what's worked over the last few months. If we just stick to our blueprint and not overcomplicate things and just enjoy our cricket, we could do well."

The Proteas get their T20 World Cup campaign under way in their opener on Saturday against Australia at 12:00 SA time.