Colin Munro's international retirement: Decoding his unique T20I records
Colin Munro has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. The 37-year-old southpaw, who last played for New Zealand in January 2020, said he ended his hopes for an international return after being omitted from NZ's 2024 ICC T20 World Cup squad. Meanwhile, Munro made a significant mark in T20Is. Let's decode his unique stats in the shortest international format.
First batter to three T20I hundreds
In January 2018, Munro became the first batter to accomplish three centuries in T20I cricket. The left-handed batter accomplished the feat with a quick-fire 53-ball 104 against West Indies. His maiden T20I hundred came in 2017 against Bangladesh when he smashed a 54-ball 101. His second T20I hundred was an unbeaten 109 off 58 balls against India in November 2017.
Second-fastest T20I century for NZ
Munro's third and final T20I hundred is the second-fastest century by a New Zealander in the format. He reached the landmark off just 47 balls. In November 2020, Glenn Phillips overtook his tally with a 46-ball hundred against West Indies. Meanwhile, Munro's ton is still the fastest by an NZ opener in the T20I format.
Second-fastest fifty in T20Is
Munro owns the milestone for scoring the second-fastest half-century in T20Is among full-member team batters. He reached the milestone off just 14 balls against Sri Lanka in October 2016. The southpaw is only behind former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball effort against England in the 2007 T20 WC game in Durban.
Second-fastest to 100 T20I sixes
Munro finished his T20I career with 107 maximums in just 65 games (1,724 runs at 31.34). He is the second fastest to complete 100 sixes in the format in terms of balls faced (963). The dasher is only behind West Indies star Evin Lewis, who took just 789 balls to reach the milestone. No other batter has reached the feat inside 1,000 balls.
