Hard-hitting Munro relishes the shorter format

COLIN Munro made his T20I debut back in 2012, but it’s in the last five years or so that he has grown into an absolute beast in the shortest format. The New Zealander joined TKR in 2016, and has toppled the charts in many ways ever since. In his debut season, he became the first overseas player to score a ton in CPL history, and in 2018, he finished as the highest run-getter in the tournament.

Early success in Twenty20 Internationals and domestic cricket saw Munro earn a Test cap for New Zealand during their 2013 series vs South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Munro, who was born in Durban, couldn’t quite make a mark in that game, getting out for a first-ball duck in the first innings and scoring just 15 in the second dig. It remains the only Test appearance in Munro’s six-year career so far.

“No more Test cricket. I am looking forward to playing T20 cricket and One-Day cricket at the moment,” he said in an interview. “I am focusing on the 2019 World Cup and then we will see what happens after that.”

It’s the shorter formats where Munro found his footing in the end. He, in fact, was the first batsman in history to register three centuries in T20Is – 101 vs Bangladesh (Mt Maunganui, Jan 2017); 109 no vs India (Rajkot, November 2017) and 104 vs Windies (Mt Maunganui, January 2018).

Munro’s big-hitting prowess has earned him a place in a number of T20 franchises around the world, including Trinbago Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Sydney Sixers, Worcestershire, and more.

In Trinbago Knight Riders’ title-winning campaigns in 2017 and 2018, Munro proved to be a vital cog in the playing XI, finishing on top of the run-getters list from his side in both seasons.