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Veteran New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro has announced his retirement with immediate effect. The explosive left-handed opener represented the Kiwis in 123 international fixtures after making his debut in 2013.
The southpaw represented the Black Caps in 57 ODIs, 65 T20Is, and one Test. Neverthless, the shortest format was his forte; his 1,724 runs is the sixth highest for New Zealand in T20I cricket. Munro's three T20I centuries are also the most by a New Zealander. His quickest century came off just 47 balls.
Addressing his decision to draw the curtains on his career, Munro said it was the 'perfect' time following the announcement of New Zealand's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
"Playing for the BLACKCAPS has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career. 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. With the announcement of the BLACKCAPS squad for the T20 World Cup now is the perfect time to close that chapter officially,” Munro said, as quoted by nzc.nz.
The southpaw was part of New Zealand's WT20 squads in 2014 and 2016. He was also part of their 2019 World Cup squad that reached the final at Lord's.
"One of the pioneers of the new game" - Scott Weenink on Colin Munro
NZC chief Executive Scott Weenink has hailed Colin Munro for being a trendsetter in the shortest format of the game. Weenink said:
"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."
Meanwhile, the Black Caps will look to win their first T20 World Cup, beginning on June 1. Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand for the fourth consecutive T20 World Cup.
