All New Zealand batter Colin Munro’s hopes of reviving his international career have been shattered as it has been confirmed that batsman has retired from his career, which spanned 123 matches. A two – time veteran of the T20 World Cup and a white – ball expert was eager to secure a recall to his national side for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next month, but the 37-year old was unable to accomplish this goal.
“Playing for the BLACKCAPS has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career. 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 BLACKCAPS squad for the T20 World Cup now is the perfect time to close that chapter officially,” Munro was quoted as saying by New Zealand Cricket.
His international career is over, but Munro will continue to play franchise cricket across the globe. Munro, who played his last game for New Zealand in the fifth T20I against India at Bay Oval in 2020, appeared in 65 T20Is, 57 ODIs, and a single Test match, scoring over 3,000 International runs while bagging seven wickets. Munro bows out as New Zealand’s sixth current leading T205 run-scorer with 1,724 runs at 31.4 and a strike rate of 156.4, with three years of 100, more than any New Zealand player.
The powerful top-order batsman represented New Zealand in the 2006 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka before making his international debut in all three forms during the 2012-13 tour of South Africa.
He went on to flourish in white ball formats, becoming a key member of the Blackcaps’ T20I and ODI sides from 2016 to 2019, as well as appearing in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups and the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink Said :
“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. 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,”
