New Zealand named their 2021 World T20 squad this week, and while the Black Caps will field a strong side, there is one glaring omission: Colin Munro isn’t in the team.
There are three New Zealand players with over 7000 T20 career runs: Brendon McCullum has more than 9000 runs, Martin Guptill has 7826 and Munro sits on 7356 in the shortest format. Among the trio Munro is the only player to have an average over 30 and score at a strike rate over 140 in T20 cricket.
If you move to T20 internationals, very few New Zealand players have had the impact Munro has had. In 62 innings for New Zealand Munro has scored over 1700 runs at an average of 31.34 and a strike rate of 156.44, the highest strike rate among New Zealand cricketers with more than 350 T20 runs in internationals.
Despite all this, the T20 superstar will not be playing for his country in the 2021 World T20.
Munro expressed his disappointment from being excluded on his Instagram story shortly after the squad was named
“Extremely gutted to miss out on this, was definitely a goal of mine that I wanted to tick off,” he said, “Looks like I [may] have played my last game for [the Black Caps] not by choice.”
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Coming into the 2020 home summer for the Black Caps, Munro made himself unavailable for their home T20 series against West Indies and Pakistan to play in the Big Bash League. While there had always been a franchise vs country debate, I saw nothing wrong with it. Munro does not play first-class cricket for Auckland anymore after getting only one Test for New Zealand despite averaging over 51 in first-class cricket.
As Munro plays only T20s for New Zealand, franchise leagues are his only source of income, which he is in his right to chase as an athlete with a limited number of years to play professional sport. And then there’s the fact the games he was playing in Australia before the 2022 T20 World Cup were in hindsight was one of the best ways to prepare for the tournament in Australian conditions for a T20 cricketer.
This is not the first time New Zealand have discarded one of their own after they decided to chase the cash in T20 leagues. Mitchell McClenaghan opted to play in T20 leagues over a New Zealand contract in 2017 after not playing for New Zealand following the conclusion of the 2016 World T20. However, it is unfair to discard these cricketers completely because they want to maximise their earnings in a professional sport.
For New Zealand selectors to single out Munro like this is quite hypocritical considering all the New Zealand cricketers who bagged an IPL contract this year are allowed to skip international duty to play in both legs of IPL 2021 – and they are in their right to do so. Munro has been one of the most influential T20 cricketers from New Zealand. Barring an unsuccessful stint in the IPL, Munro has had success in the Caribbean, English, Pakistani and Australian T20 leagues alongside his outstanding international T20 record.
In the UAE leg of PSL 2021 Munro scored 285 runs at an average of 57 in seven matches, scoring at a strike rate just shy of 170. Despite his run-scoring spree in the UAE, Munro is somehow not in New Zealand’s best 15 to travel to the UAE for a World T20.
While players do deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty towards international cricket, there needs to be realism when understanding the situation of a T20 cricketer in their mid-30s entering the twilight of their career. Gary Stead has shot himself in the foot massively by not choosing one of the best T20 batsmen of all time in New Zealand just because he chased the cash.
Should New Zealand fail to make the final or win the tournament, a lot of questions will be aimed at Stead for omitting Munro.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Munro has lost his place to Devon Conway who is a genuine gun. Don't think he is genuinely in there best XI anymore.
Bobbo7
Guest
Don't think Munro was ever a solid chance. Hit and miss and when out of form was a liability as has a tendency to throw it away. BBL form is irrelevant given how the BBL stars have gone for Australia. Conway, Guptill, Williamson, Philips, Chapman / Seifert, Neesham is a very solid top 6 and Santner, Jamieson and Southee all offer a bit with the bat. Chapman also adds to the spin options in the UAE. Solid squad.
Reddy
Roar Rookie
I guess its to do with quarantining due to covid, some players will spend that whole time over there.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
We’ll sure , they will be overseas. But how does that affect the naming of the T20WC squad?
Reddy
Roar Rookie
Its because NZ will be overseas from pretty much now until the beginning of December. Bangladesh 5 t20s, then 3 odi's and 5 t20s against Pakistan, then the t20 world cup, then 2 test matches and 3 t20s against India.
Arj
Roar Rookie
NZ named rotated squads for the tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan before the World Cup. Though they did this because they've bowed down to the BCCI and let their main players play IPL...
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Is it a bit premature for NZC to be naming their T20 WC squad 3 months out, when they still have a lengthy tour of Bangladesh yet to be played (next month)?
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
My point in regards to this - Allen averages less than 20 in FC cricket and less than 30 in List A cricket. To me, that shows Allen relies only on a slogging mentality and will struggle on pitches where it isn’t batting friendly. He bats in one gear only from what I’ve seen of him in super smash and his 3 T20I games
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Is it really necessary for 2 full seasons of first class cricket to play a 20/20 tournament? Surely 20/20 players need to be chosen on 20/20 ability and form?
Patrick
Roar Pro
Whatever the reasoning for his exclusion, I agree Munro should have been included. Looking at the squad selected, Chapman seems the most obvious guy to drop out. He's got an ordinary record, and seems a bit bits and pieces to be honest. The other one is Seifert. With Conway and Phillips in the squad, they don't need him to keep, and Munro and Finn Allen are both better openers. Their best batting lineup probably looks something like this: 1. Guptill 2. Munro 3. Williamson c 4. Conway wk 5. Phillips 6. Neesham 7. Mitchell/Santner
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
If recent form isn't the issue in T20 then is it a personality clash?
Paul
Roar Guru
You're 100% convinced he's been snubbed because of his choice to play franchise cricket but again I don't see a lot of evidence to support that view. I also suggest that just because he's available, doesn't make him an automatic choice. IMO he's a victim of timing. Right now, Black Caps cricket is very strong in all formats, being top of the pile in Tests & ODI's and third in T20 cricket. They have got there because they have a lot of talent in all departments bar Test spin bowling. Sure Munro could open the batting but so could any one of 3 or 4 other guys. As I've said elsewhere, if he was eligible to play for Australia, we'd snap him up in heartbeat, but that's because we are seriously underwhelming when it comes to batting in this format.
Paul
Roar Guru
He's a clas player, no argument Ricardo, but he's also made a choice to play these cashed up tournaments at the expense of playing for his country. I have absolutely no issue with that, given the huge amounts on offer and the general life expectancy of cricketers in the game. His problem is timing. If this tournament was held when it was supposed to be, 12 months ago, he'd have been one of the first chosen. Since then though, guys like Conway & Phillips have come on in leaps and bounds, which leaves the NZ selectors with a dilemma - who do they leave out? I went through the Black Caps squad and truly couldn't find a player who would not be hard done by if they were dropped for Munro. If the squad was increased to 17, he'd be in for sure, but as it stands he's the victim of the strength of NZ short form cricket. Sadly it's too late for our PM to give him citizenship. He's exactly what the Aussies need at 6. :unhappy:
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
I think Allen is being hyped a bit too early. Don’t get me wrong he is a serious striker of the ball. But I’d like him to do this for two seasons in a row + score some runs in FC cricket to prove that he can also bat in different gears. I remember when Bond got ostracized for choosing the ICL. And now he’s bowling coach of the Mumbai Indians where Trent Boult has improved a lot as a white ball bowler, especially for T20 cricket.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Munro gave up playing FC cricket a few years ago since the selectors kept on opting for Guptill despite Munro continuously scoring runs for fun for Auckland. In his final season as a Blackcap (2019-20), Munro scored 288 runs in ten matches. The following season he isn’t contracted by NZC. Yes they’re building depth but there is no way a seasoned and proven T20 cricketer at franchise and international level is missing out on a T20 WC over Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. NZC allowed their players who were playing in IPL 2021 to miss the T20 series vs Bangladesh in March. They will be doing the same in the NZ tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan which are both fine by me. But they’ve marginalised a bloke who isn’t contracted to them for choosing an income and playing in franchise leagues where he is scoring runs for fun and keeping himself in contention of a recall.
Phantom
Roar Rookie
This morning former black cap opener Mark Richardson said there was more to come on this story. I suspect it is a clash between williamson and Munro.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
With the talent NZC is developing I'm sot sure the precedent is dangerous, but in some instances they are shooting themselves in the foot Arnab. What galls me is that NZC doesn't pay like some of the other bigger nations and chasing the $ is fair to my mind, as long as there is open communication and availability is sacrosanct, once committed. From memory Colin had a run of poor form in his specialist format which may have also talked where we now sit. Fin Allen surprised me though. Why can't a fringe player chase a $? Better planning and organisation required perhaps? This is a professional sport and if you can achieve income and still compete for your country that should be fine. As an aside, the biggest omission for national duties was Shane Bond who wanted to attend the PCL in its' infancy, got the all-clear from Justin Vaughan, and NZC then promptly reneged ending a career already compromised by injury. That Shane ended up bowling coach for Hesson and helping our bowlers make such huge strides speaks volumes of his commitment and should be the fulcrum by which these situations are merited.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Given the numbers he is posting Paul I thought he may get a look-in. Colin doesn't get selected for any other format so income from tournaments would provide an income NZC don't. The country v tournament thing already has casualties across other formats (IPL and Tests for example) and this is an issue which will only repeat; that line is about to become fairly blurred. Surprised Allen missed out too; that boy can absolutely smash that white ball. Really looking forward to seeing Sears take that next step; kid has some gas...
Paul
Roar Guru
"it is unfair to discard these cricketers completely because they want to maximise their earnings in a professional sport." Really? Based on what evidence? I read the comments from Gary Stead and he rightly points out that while Munro was off earning a quid, other players like Conway & Phillips have stepped into the team and done extremely well. The fact is, the Black Caps have a lot of talented players in this format at present and they can only choose 15 and the guys they've picked are in demonstrated good form. Finn Allen is another who has missed out and would likely walk into the Aussie team if he was qualified. I don't accept the argument players can pick and choose when they want to represent their country, then claim to be hard done by when they're left out. Munro can keep playing well past international retirement age in the IPL, BBL, etc, After all, that's what AB and Chris Gayle have done.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Yeah.. can't quite work it out.