(Cricket News) New Zealand batter, Colin Munro has officially announced his retirement from international cricket. Munro had an eye on being a part of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup side, but failed to make it to the squad. Soon after the squad announcement, Munro has now called time to his career.
Munro hasn’t featured for the Blackcaps side since 2020, but was in consideration for the T20 World Cup. New Zealand coach Gary Stead confirmed that Munro was discussed at the selection table when the squad was announced but said there was no room for the veteran left-hander.
“Playing for the Black Caps has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career,” Munro said. “I never felt prouder than donning that jersey, and the fact that I’ve been able to do that 123 times across all formats is something I will always be incredibly proud of.
“Although it has been a while since my last appearance, I never gave up hope that I might be able to return off the back of my franchise T20 form. With the announcement of the Black Caps squad for the T20 World Cup now is the perfect time to close that chapter officially.”
The Kiwi veteran has been playing a lot of franchise cricket for the last four years, however he failed to add to his 123 caps for New Zealand. His World Cup dream also got shattered this time around, and hence the retirement was always on the cards.
Munro has been a white-ball giant for the New Zealand. He was a T20 specialist and registered 3 centuries in the shortest format. He represented the national side in a solitary test, 57 ODIs and 65 T20Is. He also holds the record for the fourth fastest T20I half-century (14 ball 50 against Sri Lanka), which is the fastest by a New Zealander.
“Colin was one of our first players to embrace the aggressive, 360-degree style batting that is now accepted all around the world as best practice,” NZC Chief Executive Weenink said.
“He was one of the pioneers of the new game, an innovative batsman who took calculated risk-taking to a new level, and led what was to become a revolution in the way short-form cricket was played. We thank him for his amazing contribution in more than hundred international games, and wish him well in his future pursuits.”
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