New Zealand opener Colin Munro announces international retirement after T20 World Cup

New Zealand's swashbuckling opener Colin Munro announced his international retirement on Friday (May 10), after missing out on a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

Munro -- who was known for his power-hitting -- ended with plenty of records in T20Is and will continue to remain active in franchise cricket. The left-hander ended his career with 57 ODIs, 65 T20Is and a solitary Test, comprising from 2013-2024. Munro's last international appearance came in a T20I, versus India, in 2020.

Munro was hoping to make an international return in the upcoming T20 WC but his omission prompted him to 'close the chapter officially'.

He said in a statement on Friday, "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 Black Caps squad for the T20 World Cup now is the perfect time to close that chapter officially."

Munro, however, will continue to remain active in franchise cricket but his legacy remains in the short format game as a pioneer of aggressive, "360-degree style" batting, stated New Zealand Cricket boss Scott Weenink.

Weenink said, "(He) 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.


MUNRO'S INTERNATIONAL CAREER


Munro, the Durban-born power-hitter, made his T20I debut against South Africa in 2012. He rose up the ladder and became one of the regulars for the Kiwis in the shortest format with a 47-ball century against West Indies in Mount Maunganui in 2018 -- which was the fastest T20 century for New Zealand back then. In addition, he became the first player to score three T20I centuries.

The southpaw's 14-ball half-century against Sri Lanka, at Auckland's Eden Park in 2016, remains the fastest in T20Is by a New Zealander; fourth fastest of all-time.

Along with two T20 World Cups, Munro was also part of the Kane Williamson-led Black Caps squad for the 2019 ODI World Cup, where they lost to hosts England in a thrilling finale at Lord's. He played a solitary Test, ending with 15 runs, but was known for his white-ball heroics. In 57 ODIs, he made 1,271 runs at a strike-rate of 104.69. Munro's T20I numbers are impressive: 1,724 runs (sixth-most by a Kiwi batter) at a whopping strike-rate of 156.44.