Colin Munro Of New Zealand Quits International Cricket

New Zealand’s opening batsman, Colin Munro, announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, following his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad for this year. Despite accumulating over 3,000 runs in international cricket, Munro had not represented the national team for the past four years, with his last appearance dating back to a T20I against India in 2020.

Primarily recognized as a white-ball specialist, Munro made his T20I debut in December 2012 and his ODI debut the subsequent month. He only played one Test match in January 2013. Throughout his career, Munro represented New Zealand 123 times across all formats, amassing over 3,000 runs.

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Notably, Munro is the sole New Zealand player to have scored three T20I centuries and had been part of the T20 World Cup squads in 2014 and 2016. He also contributed to the team’s runner-up finish in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Although he remained active in franchise cricket globally, Munro opted to retire after failing to secure a spot in the 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

Expressing his sentiments, the 37-year-old regarded his time playing for the BLACKCAPS as the pinnacle of his cricketing career. He mentioned that despite the gap since his last game, he had hoped for a return to the national team based on his performances in T20 franchise leagues. However, with the T20 World Cup squad announcement, Munro believed it was the appropriate moment to officially conclude this chapter.

NZC chief executive Scott Weenink hailed Munro as a trailblazer in modern batting techniques, particularly in his aggressive and innovative style of play. Weenink credited Munro for embracing the 360-degree style of batting, which has now become standard practice globally.