‘May have played my last for New Zealand,’ says Colin Munro after being left of Blackcaps’ T20 World Cup squad

New Zealand announced a flurry of squads on Monday, August 9 which included the teams for the T20I tour of Bangladesh, the ODI and T2) tour of Pakistan and also the ICC T20 World Cup and the India series, all of them taking place one after another starting September. 

While the likes of Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, who will be playing the second phase of the IPL will be giving the tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan a miss, they all will return to the side in the 15-men player squad for the World Cup.

However, there have been some evident and major ommissions from the T20 World Cup squad. The veteran Ross Taylor hasn’t been selected in any of the squads and ill remain in New Zealand to prepare for the two-match Test series against India after the T20 World Cup, all-rounder Colin de Granghpmme, young and explosive opener Finn Allen and the experienced opener Colin Munro, all have been left out.

While de Grandhomme has been experiencing a blip in the form, he will be available for the Bangladesh, Pakistan series and the same for Allen. However, Munro has been axed from all the squads. Disappointed Munro suggested that he may have played his last for the Blackcaps, but not by choice.

Taking to Instagram, Munro posted on his story and wrote, “Extremely gutted to miss out on this, was definitely a goal of mine that I wanted to tick off. Looks like I m(a)y have played my last for @blackcapsnz not by choice.”

Munro, who last played for New Zealand in February 2020 in the T20I series at home against India, since then has been plying his trade in the leagues around the world including the Caribbean Premier League, Big Bash League In Australia and in the ongoing The Hundred for the Manchester Originals.

New Zealand will be playing five T20Is against Bangladesh from September 1 to September 10 in Dhaka. They will travel to Pakistan the next day and quarantine before the first ODI, which begins on September 17 in Rawalpindi. The three-match ODI series will take place at Pindi Stadium before the T20I series moves to Lahore from September 25 to October 3.

PCB confirms schedule of New Zealand’s first tour of Pakistan in 18 years.#PAKvNZ | #HarHaalMainCricket pic.twitter.com/dPlThiKuGT

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 5, 2021

New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup and India T20Is: Kane Williamson(c), Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne (injury cover)

New Zealand squad for Bangladesh T20Is and Pakistan ODIs: Tom Latham (w/c), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell(w), Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Colin de Grandhomme, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ajaz Patel, Hamish Bennett, Scott Kuggeleijn, Matt Henry (ODIs only), Ben Sears (T20Is only)

New Zealand squad for Pakistan T20Is: Tom Latham (w/c), Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Tom Blundell(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Mark Chapman, Ish Sodhi, Todd Astle, Will Young, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry, Ben Sears, Hamish Bennett

Team News | The squads have been confirmed for the @T20WorldCup and white ball tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan. https://t.co/pb2FtmrVJN

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) August 9, 2021

The ICC T20 World Cup takes place from October 17 to November 14 in the UAE and Oman and followed by the same, New Zealand will be touring India for three T20Is and two Test matches.