Colin Munro's rise as a batsman

Colin Munro has proved to be an X-factor his team when required. Hailing from Auckland, he is as lethal as he is entertaining.

Here's looking at Colin Munro's rise from virtually an unknown commodity to Kiwi's premier batsman across limited overs format.

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#1 Initial Years (2006-2014)

Colin Munro represented New Zealand in the U19 World Cup in 2006. However, it was a forgettable tournament for him. He made his domestic debut for Auckland in 2006. He played a vital role for Auckland in the 2011-12 season when he scored a century and three fifties for the side. The next season, he progressed further by scoring three centuries in six innings, including an unbeaten 269 off 252 balls against Wellington.

His impressive domestic performances were rewarded with a T20I cap against South Africa in 2012. He also made his Test and ODI debut both against South Africa in the same series. However, it was not a memorable series for him. He represented New Zealand in the 2014 World T20.

#2 Budding Years (2014- T20 World Cup 2016)

Munro was in and out of the national side until he scored 366 runs in the 2015-16 Georgie Pie Super Smash and the selectors rewarded him with a steady place in New Zealand's T20I team. He scored a 14-ball 50 at Eden Park against Sri Lanka in 2016, which was the fastest fifty by a Kiwi batsman. His quick runs against Pakistan earned him a place in the New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup in 2016.

#3 Golden Years (After World T20 2016- present)

Munro was the part of Kolkata Knight Riders squad in IPL 2016, but he did not get enough opportunities to prove his worth. He played for Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2016 and he became the 1st overseas player in the history of CPL to score a century. He scored his 1st century at Bay Oval against Bangladesh in 2017.

He was the highest scorer for Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2017. This performance lifted him to the opening batting position in the limited overs format. He had a memorable series against India in 2017 and he scored his 2nd T20I century at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium against the same team. In 2018, he scored his 3rd T20I century at Bay Oval against Windies and he became the first player to score three centuries in T20I cricket. With this feat, he became the no.1 T20I batsman in the world. He was the part of Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018 and Hampshire in Natwest T20 Blast 2018. He became the 2nd fastest player to score 1000 runs in CPL history.

He has the calibre to achieve a lot in his career.