Giving up First-class cricket was a tough decison for Colin Munro

New Zealand’s explosive limited overs’ opener Colin Munro, who has been on a roll courtesy of his exploits with the bat in the shorter version of the game, recently decided to give up the longest format of the illustrious sport. The southpaw has been the reliable opener for Kiwis for quite some time now, both in ODIs and T20Is.

His flamboyant approach at the top of the order has helped him earn a name as a white-ball player. With a whole lot of experience in playing in a plethora of T20 leagues around the globe, Munro is one of the most viable options as an opener in limited overs cricket. However, he has failed to translate his white-ball form in the longest version of the sport.

It was tough to give up First-class cricket: Munro

Ever since his Test debut in January 2013, the left-handed opener has struggled to make it to the Test squad. His inconsistency has come to haunt him while establishing himself as an all-weather player for the Black Caps. As a result, he decided to give up on the longest format of the game.

“To give up first-class cricket was a tough decision and I have been thinking about it for the last couple of years,” Munro was quoted as saying by The Hindu on Sunday.

The 31-year old has been in the fray for a spot in the Test squad but has always fallen short of breaking into the XI. It was only time that he went on to take the decision of focusing on the other two formats. “It wasn’t easy to give up 10 years of first-class cricket and about 50 matches, but I wasn’t getting the rewards I wanted,” he added.

Looking forward to the World Cup next year

The Kiwi opener reckons it will be an evenly contested World Cup next year in England. He is optimistic about his team’s chances in the prestigious tournament given their recent success in England in the white-ball game.

“I think New Zealand would play well in the conditions of England, where we have had successes in the past. England, West Indies and India, too have good chances in what I think will be a hotly contested World Cup, with all teams playing one another once,” he said.

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