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Hard-hitting New Zealand batter Colin Munro has announced his retirement from international cricket. He is a white-ball specialist and has featured in previous two T20 World Cup campaigns for the Blackcaps.
Munro had been hoping to reignite his New Zealand career at next month's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, but the 37-year-old narrowly missed out on earning a recall and has decided to call time on his time as an international player. The left-hander played more than 100 matches for the Kiwis, with his sole Test appearance against South Africa in 2013 overshadowed by an impressive white-ball career that netted three centuries and 19 half-centuries for his country. Those three hundreds all came in the shortest format of the game, with Munro one of only seven male players to have scored three or more T20I centuries. The former opener has featured for New Zealand at the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups and was a key member of the Kiwis' squad that made it all the way to the thrilling ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final against England in 2019. The southpaw will continue to play franchise cricket around the globe, but there will be no further aspirations to play for his country with his retirement effective immediately. Reflecting on his career, Munro said featuring for New Zealand was a clear highlight. "Playing for the Black Caps has always been the biggest achievement in my playing career. 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," Munro said as quoted by ICC. "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," the former left-hander added. (ANI)
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