New Zealand Opener Colin Munro Announces His Retirement From International Cricket

Veteran New Zealand opener Colin Munro has called it a day from international cricket after representing the Black Caps in 123 matches, having made his debut in 2013 and last playing in 2020. The explosive southpaw revealed that this is the best to step away from international cricket, with the selectors also announcing the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

Munro played only one Test throughout his career as T20I cricket is his strongest suit. With 1724 runs in 65 T20Is, the 37-year-old is the sixth-highest run-getter for New Zealand in the format. Munro maintainted a strike rate of 156.4 and has three centuries in T20Is, making it the most by a Kiwi.

Munro stated that it's been a privilege to represent New Zealand on as many occasions as he did, but never gave up on his international return. As quoted by NZC, he claimed:

"Playing for the BLACKCAPS has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career. 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."

"One of our first players to embrace the aggressive, 360-degree style batting" - Scott Weenik on Colin Munro

NZC chief executive Scott Weenik reckons Munro has become the trendsetter of playing aggressive cricket in New Zealand and is a pioneer of the modern game. Weekik stated:

"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 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."

Meanwhile, Williamson will lead New Zealand in their 4th consecutive T20 World Cup.