New Zealand opening batsman Colin Munro on Friday announced retirement from the international cricket after being not considered for the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be held this year.
The dynamic New Zealand batter, who has amassed over 3,000 runs in international cricket, hasn’t played for the national team in the past four years; his last appearance was in a T20I against India in 2020.
The left-handed batter made his debut in a T20I in December 2012 and then his ODI debut the following month. He played only one Test match in his career back in January 2013, as he was primarily regarded as a white-ball specialist. In total, Munro represented New Zealand 123 times across all formats, scoring over 3,000 runs.
Munro is the only New Zealand player with three T20I centuries and was part of the T20 World Cup squads in 2014 and 2016. He was also a member of the team that finished as runners-up in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Recently, the experienced batter has been active in franchise cricket around the world. He decided to retire after not being selected for the 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
“Playing for the BLACKCAPS has been the greatest achievement of my cricket career,” the 37-year-old said. “Wearing the jersey 123 times across all formats is a source of immense pride. Though it’s been a while since my last game, I always hoped to return to the team based on my T20 franchise performances. With the announcement of the BLACKCAPS squad for the T20 World Cup, now is the right time to officially close this chapter.”
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink praised Munro, describing him as a trailblazer in 360-degree style batting. “Colin was one of our first players to embrace the aggressive 360-degree style of batting that is now considered best practice worldwide,” he said.
