Colin Munro has made the immediate decision to retire from international cricket. The aggressive New Zealand batter, who has accumulated over 3000 runs in international matches, has been absent from the national team for the past four years, with his most recent appearance dating back to a T20I against India in 2020.
Munro initially entered the international scene with a T20I debut in December 2012, followed by an ODI debut the following month. While he only played one Test match in January 2013, he was predominantly recognized as a specialist in white-ball cricket.
Throughout his career, he represented New Zealand in a total of 123 matches across formats, amassing over 3000 runs. Notably, Munro holds the distinction of being the sole New Zealand batsman to register three centuries in T20Is. He contributed to the T20 World Cup squads in 2014 and 2016 and was part of the team that finished as runners-up in the ODI World Cup in 2019.
Colin Munro steps away from international cricket
Despite his achievements, Munro has been focusing on franchise cricket worldwide and cited his absence from the 2024 T20 World Cup squad as the reason for his retirement.
“Playing for the BLACKCAPS has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career,” the 37-year-old said. “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.”
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink lauded Munro, describing him as a trailblazer in the realm of all-round batting with a 360-degree approach.
“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 said. “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.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
