CHRISTCHURCH, May 10: New Zealand batsman Colin Munro has decided to end his 123-game international career.
The white-ball specialist, who featured in the last two T20 World Cups, was hoping to reignite his New Zealand career at next month's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, but the 37-year-old missed out on a recall and decided to call time. About his international career.
“Playing for BLACKCAPS will always be the biggest achievement of my playing career. I have never been more proud than to wear that jersey and the fact that I was able to do it 123 times across all formats. It's something I will always be incredibly proud of.”
“It has been a while since I last played, but I never gave up hope that I might be able to regain my franchise T20 form. With the announcement of the BLACKCAPS squad for the T20 World Cup, now is the perfect time.” We're officially closing that chapter,'' Munro was quoted as saying by New Zealand Cricket.
Although his international career has officially come to an end, Munro will continue to play franchise cricket around the world.
The left-hander last played in the fifth T20I against India at Bay Oval in 2020 and has represented New Zealand in 65 T20Is, 57 ODIs and one Test, making his international debut. He scored over 3,000 runs and took 7 wickets.
Munro finished his international career as New Zealand's sixth-leading T20I scorer with 1,724 runs, including three centuries, at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 156.4.
The hard-hitting top batsman represented New Zealand at the 2006 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka before making his international debut in all three formats on the 2012-13 tour of South Africa.
He went on to excel in white-ball formats, being a key member of the Black Caps' T20I and ODI teams from 2016 to 2019, and competing in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups, as well as in England. He also played in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
“Colin was one of the first players to embrace the aggressive 360-degree style of batting that is now accepted as best practice around the world. He was an innovative batsman who took risks and reached new levels, ushering in what would become a revolution in the way short-form cricket was played.
NZC CEO Scott Wienink said: “We would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution in over 100 international matches and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”