2016 ICC World T20: Colin Munro smashes 34-ball 67 in warm-up against Sri Lanka

 Munro’s audacity caught the eye

Those who watched Colin Munro bat at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday knew they had seen something special. From smashing four sixes off the first four deliveries of an over to reverse-sweeping a spinner for a six, the southpaw entertained the small crowd that attended the warm-up game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

It’s fitting that Munro started his sojourn in India with a 34-ball 67 in Mumbai. Although a Mumbai Indians recruit last year, he remains largely unknown in the city. That may change this year.

So, what’s Munro’s claim to fame so far? 

- He scored the second-fastest fifty in T20 Internationals earlier this year, achieving the milestone off only 14 balls against Sri Lanka. 

- He smashed a record 23 sixes in a First-Class innings while playing for Auckland against Central Districts last year. 

The numbers show that he is a power-player

If he can build on this start at Mumbai, he can certainly be one player to watch out for in this ICC World T20!  It’s almost as if Brendon McCullum’s bravado has rubbed off on this New Zealand unit.

The former skipper may not be here in India in person but is certainly present in spirit. Martin Guptill started off with a flourish. Corey Anderson did what he does best. But, we’ve seen them before.

It was Munro’s audacity that caught the eye. The shot that summed up his effort was a reverse-sweep off Sachithra Senanayake. The ball soared over point and went into the second tier of the Vijay Merchant Pavillion.

The Wankhede Stadium may not be the biggest, but to send it onto the second tier is something. Munro’s stance is slightly open and he crouches a little as the bowler runs in. He gets his balance with a slight trigger movement before setting himself for a shot.

He can smash it through the leg-side, or loft it over the off with the same power. Dasun Shanaka bore the brunt of that range when he was carted for four consecutive sixes in the 10th over. It may have been a warm-up, but Munro gave it everything to gear up for bigger challenges.

 At the other end, Anderson scored at a slightly better strike-rate and smashed sixes almost at will. However, there was something about Munro that was compelling. The flair with which he essayed his shots made it engaging.

Zero fours, seven sixes

The magnificence of the innings was also captivated in statistics: Munro was all about hitting sixes. In that knock, he didn’t hit a four but cleared the fence seven times. A stable start followed a calculated assault.

Released by the Mumbai Indians, Munro has been picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders this year for the Indian Premier League (IPL). He bats in the top-order and is particularly aggressive against the pace bowlers.

In the absence of McCullum, he certainly has a bigger role to play for New Zealand in the World T20. It also gives him the opportunity to impress ahead of the IPL to make a case for a continued run in the side.

Speaking after the match, teammate Corey Anderson had this to say about Munro: "He is a hell of a player. He has been doing it domestically for a long time now."