Colin Munro officially retires from international cricket

• Colin Munro retired from international cricket.
• Munro hadn’t played for New Zealand since 2020.
• Munro is proud of his time representing the Black Caps.

Colin Munro officially ended his international cricket career on Friday, following his omission from New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2024 team.

Despite not having played an international match for New Zealand since 2020, Munro had expressed his availability for the World Cup in the United States and West Indies.

New Zealand’s coach, Gray Stead, acknowledged that Munro was considered during the squad selection process, but ultimately, he was not chosen.

At 37, Munro plans to continue his involvement in franchise cricket, a path he has been following consistently for the past four years.

“Playing for the Black Caps has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career,” Munro stated. “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 Black Caps squad for the T20 World Cup now is the perfect time to close that chapter officially.”

Munro’s cricket career for New Zealand includes one Test, 57 ODIs, and 65 T20Is. He made three centuries in T20I cricket, including a 47-ball ton against West Indies in 2018, which was a record for New Zealand at the time. He also hit a 14-ball half-century against Sri Lanka, marking the fourth fastest in T20I cricket and setting another New Zealand record.

Following the announcement of Munro’s retirement, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, Scott Weenink, praised him.

“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,” Weenink commented.

“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.”