Colin Miller - Funky was a free spirit

Mark Atkinson | May 13, 2024

Colin Miller first-class career spanned 16 seasons from 1985/86 to 2001/02 playing 3 states Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. He became Australian Test Cricket Player Number 379 and went on to play 18 Tests in the Baggy Green.

He made his First-Class debut at the age of 21 but had to wait until he was 34 to play his First Test

Colin “Funky” Miller had an amazing cricketing journey. He travelled the world to play the game he loves and had the unique ability to adapt or switch from bowling medium pace swing bowling to bowling off-spin successfully at the highest level.

In 18 Tests he took 69 wickets at an average of 26.15 and best figures of 5 for 32. He ended up with 446 first-class wickets at an average of 30.97. 

Funky was a free spirit and a tremendous team mate

How did you get into cricket?

My dad was a cricketer and a coach, and my older brother played cricket so it was just how our weekends were spent as early as I can remember we were either playing or watching cricket.

What are your memories of your junior cricket days?

I started in the U 12’s I would bowl I little and bat a little, nothing very special until I got to around 15 years old and was selected in the Australian U 16’s Team. 

When did you come to grade cricket?  

I played my junior cricket at Sunshine Heights and then moved to Footscray district Cricket club for my U 16’s final year. It was at Footscray that I began to play senior cricket when I was 15 in the 4th grade in the afternoons after my junior games in the mornings.

How did you progress through the grade ranks?

I spent a year in the 4th grade and then over the next 3 years progressed to the 1st team. I played my 1st senior game at 18 and my 1st Shield game for Victoria in 1985 when I was 21 years old.

Did you have any mentors or coaches who were assisted your cricket and if yes how did they help you?

My dad was my first coach and it was him that taught me everything about the game, after leaving junior cricket I just watched how others went about their game and tried to pick up the good things that they were doing and then adjusted them to suit my game. 

What were your cricketing ambitions?

My sporting ambitions early on were to be a professional Baseball player. I really enjoyed baseball and I had more talent as a baseballer than a cricketer. I could throw a hard ball and was pitching in senior baseball when I was 16. I got glandular fever that year which caused me to pull out of the national championships and I never played baseball again apart from a couple of seasons in Geelong in the Winter. I think I was 18 when I played my last game. Cricket then became my focus.

Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, Glenn McGrath celebrating an Australian Test win

Describe the circumstances the led to your Sheffield Shield selection for Victoria?

We had a couple of state players at Footscray. Ray Bright was Victorian captain and Footscray captain, Len Balcam played with Victoria and Queensland, Merv Hughes and Tony Dodemaide were also in the Footscray team, so I wanted to emulate them and play 1st class cricket

What do you remember about your first-class debut?

My 1st game was against Sth Aus. at the MCG I think I got a couple in each innings I do remember rubbing the skin off all my toes and going off to get treatment only to have Ray Bright send I very direct message from the centre recommending I get back out to the middle.

You then moved to South Australia, why and what are your memories of that time?

I was dropped from the Vic Squad the next season and I knew in myself that I was good enough to play 1st class cricket so I moved to Sth Aust to give it another shot. I spent a couple of pretty good wicket-taking seasons there before I was dropped from the team. So Tassie was the next move and it is Tassie I owe my cricket career to. I spent 7 great years in Tassie and loved playing in Hobart. We had a fair team for a few years and probably should have won a shield final at some stage. 

What were the challenges of playing first-class cricket and how did you deal with them?

I loved playing cricket and to get to play 1st class cricket in Australia against the best players from each state was the fun. I wanted to compare myself to everyone else playing 1st class cricket. The challenge was trying to keep a job while playing. Ultimately I stopped trying to have a job and spent the whole year playing cricket. The summer in Australia and the winters in England and Holland.

Halfway through your career, you transformed into an off-spinner, how did that come about?

I had always bowled spin in the nets for years while I was in England and I had bowled some in a few league games in Holland the year before I started to bowl offies in Tassie. I knew I had good control and could turn it a bit and with the speed I bowled at no one could get down the track to me, so I got a lot of bat-pad wickets and LBW’s

What were you doing when you learned of your selection for Australia?

I was in Holland when I found out I had been selected for the test tour of Pakistan. It was a live interview on Tassie TV unknown to me! When the journo told me I was going to be playing for Australia I thought he was talking about the upcoming Australia A Tour to the UK we were going on soon. But once he convinced me he was talking about the test team I might have dropped the magic word.

Who presented your baggy-green and what do you remember about it?

I got my Baggy Green from Mark Taylor. We were in Pakistan and it was the first test in 1998. I got a wicket in my 1st over and took 1 for 65 in the first innings and 2 for 65 and 2 for 30 in the 2nd. I scored 3 runs when Slater and Steve Waugh scored centuries and won by an innings.

10 wickets in a test match! What do you remember about that performance?

I got 10 wickets in the 3rd Test in Adelaide against the West Indies 5 for 81 and then 5 for 32 in the 2nd innings. I landed them pretty well that test. I was just nice to know that you had done something special to help your country win a game.

What was your best performance with the bat?

I just missed out on a test ton in Antigua. I got 46 but really should have got a big one. I got through Curtley and Courtney, and then let Jimmy Adams get me caught mid-wicket. The only fielder not on the boundary!!!

What preparation went into your game?

I might have had a reputation for enjoying life a little too much at times, but what only a few knew was that my days were spent working in the gym on strength and fitness. I remember bowling the day from one end against NSW in Tassie starting the day with the new rock and finishing with the second new rock.

Who were the opponents you particularly admired?

Every opportunity I had to have a beer with a test cricketer I was there. We were lucky that the test guys played shield cricket when they weren’t playing internationals so the opportunity to talk and learn was always there. Greg Mathews, Mike Whitney was a couple I always enjoyed a beer with.