Geoff Miller

England all-rounder, national selector, and cricket's favourite raconteur

Cricket

The story

Few cricketers have worn more hats in the English game than Geoff Miller OBE. Test all-rounder, county captain, national selector, after dinner speaker, president of Derbyshire. The Chesterfield lad has quietly shaped English cricket for the best part of 50 years.

Born in 1952, Miller broke into the Derbyshire side in 1973 and played 34 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals for England between 1976 and 1984. His finest hour came in the 1978 to 79 Ashes in Australia, when his off spin took 23 wickets at under 16 apiece, more than any other England bowler in the series. He was also part of the England squad that reached the 1979 World Cup final.

In first class cricket he took 888 wickets and made nearly 13,000 runs, captaining Derbyshire from 1979 to 1981 and spending three seasons at Essex before returning to Derby. After retiring he moved into selection, and in 2008 he became England's first full time National Selector. Over the next five years he signed off three successive Ashes victories and the rise of England to number one in the world Test rankings.

The OBE followed in 2014, along with the Derbyshire presidency. On the circuit he is one of the most booked cricket speakers in the country, armed with a library of dressing room stories from the Boycott and Botham years and a deadpan delivery that makes him difficult to follow on a bill.

Career highlights

  • 34 Test caps and 25 ODIs for England, 1976 to 1984
  • Leading wicket taker in the 1978 to 79 Ashes with 23 wickets at 15.04
  • 1979 Cricket World Cup finalist with England
  • 888 first class wickets for Derbyshire and Essex
  • England National Selector 2008 to 2013, overseeing three Ashes wins
  • OBE in the 2014 New Year's Honours for services to cricket
  • President of Derbyshire CCC from 2014

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