Colin Munro Retires from International Cricket
South African-born Colin Munro, a prodigious power hitter who shattered numerous batting records for New Zealand, has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 37-year-old left-hander’s last international appearance was a T20 match against India in 2020. Despite harboring hopes of returning to the squad, Munro’s omission from the Black Caps’ T20 World Cup roster prompted him to make his retirement official.
Munro made his T20I debut against South Africa in 2012 and went on to represent New Zealand in 122 white-ball matches and a solitary Test against the Proteas in 2013. His 47-ball century against West Indies in 2018 stood as the fastest T20 century for New Zealand at the time and made him the first player to score three T20I hundreds. His 14-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2016 remains the fastest by a New Zealander in T20Is and the fourth fastest of all time.
Munro was an integral part of the New Zealand squad that reached the final of the 2019 World Cup, suffering a heartbreaking defeat to hosts England. Despite his retirement from international cricket, Munro will continue to play franchise cricket. New Zealand Cricket boss Scott Weenink hailed Munro’s legacy as a pioneer of aggressive, ‘360-degree style’ batting, saying, ‘(He) took calculated risk-taking to a new level, and led what was to become a revolution in the way short-form cricket was played.’ Munro’s contributions to New Zealand cricket will be remembered fondly, with 57 ODI and 65 T20I appearances to his name.
