Colin Munro’s cricket journey has taken him far and wide - and away from the Black Caps

Colin Munro has lost count of the number of teams he's played for. Photo / Getty Images

Colin Munro is back in the hunt for a place in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup cricket squad, at the age of 37.

It is over a decade since the Aucklander of South African origins played his only test, and four years since his last T20 match for the Black Caps.

The Kiwi master blaster has had incredible highs in the shortest form of the game, including becoming the first player to score three international centuries.

His career on the road has taken him from the glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League and victory celebrations in Australia’s Big Bash, to a T20 oddity like Canada and even the minor leagues in America.

But his life as a T20 gun for hire means he has also had to battle demons without the normal team support.

Munro – back in New Zealand - talks about his modern cricket life as a T20 specialist.

And Munro explains why he turned the Black Caps down this month, even though it could hurt his prospects of a recall for this year’s World Cup in the West Indies and USA.

Munro tasted victory in Australia's Big Bash with the Brisbane Heat. Photo / Getty Images

A quick recap… what brought your family here from Durban and what was the adjustment like?

Like many other South Africans who come here, we’d had enough of South Africa.

During our last 18 months something violent happened to everyone in my family, apart from the old man.

I had to walk home from a shopping centre in my underpants one day because they took my school uniform. My brother and mum were held up with guns.

It was a huge culture shock in New Zealand at first – I was 15, which is a time in life when you are still trying to find your way.

I came from an all-boys school, blazer and tie, stand up when a teacher comes in the classroom, yes ma’am, thank you sir.

In New Zealand it’s more laid back. I still remember the first week at Pakuranga College – I was the only person standing up when a teacher walked in. I would walk past teachers and say good morning ma’am or sir. They looked at me, wondering what was going on. It took a while to get my head around that.

And you’ve kept on travelling…it’s tricky keeping up with all the T20 teams you have played for around the world…

I’ve lost count as well. The last time somebody told me a number, I think it was 16 or 17…my CricInfo page even said I played for North West in South Africa but I’ve never played for them. I don’t know how that got up there.

When did your T20 career take off?

Before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2014, we went on a camp to Abu Dhabi and played against Worcestershire. No one knew about me, and I got 50 off not many balls. Worcestershire offered me a contract – that’s how it started.

T20 just suited me. Even in first class cricket, I didn’t try to bat for long periods. I had a high school coach in South Africa who was all about hitting the ball hard, along the ground at that time. From a young age, it became natural to hit the ball hard rather than worry about technique.

Yes, people said my technique wasn’t good enough for the next level, of test cricket. …but I speak to some of the older fellas who wish the T20 circuit was around when they were younger.

It has taken you from the glamour of the Indian Premier League, to unusual cricket places like Canada…

The Canadian tournament is a bit rogue – you never know when those sorts of tournaments are going ahead. We play in Brampton where there are a lot of expat Indians and Pakistanis who want cricket to be involved in the community. The Mayor knows that it’s going to help him stay in power when he’s getting Yuvraj Singh, Shahid Afridi, Brendon McCullum there, so it’s a little political game as well.

There are decent crowds, but the training facilities are poor. There’s no extra media stuff so we get total freedom…the family were with me this year and absolutely loved it.

Munro hasn't played for the Black Caps since 2019. Photo / Getty Images

A different scene to the IPL…

Kevin Pietersen said it in commentary recently – if you go to India and experience the IPL, you will be hooked.

The passion, the volume in the grounds…it’s hard to express just how continuously loud it gets. It erupts even more when something dramatic happens. It takes two or three hours to wind down after the loud noise and music. You close your eyes and the ears are still ringing.

What about the Caribbean?

The CPL is awesome. Its slogan is ‘The Biggest Party in Sport’ and it definitely is. Queens Park Oval has the Trini Posse stand which is like a nightclub. You look up and see people’s backs – everyone is dancing, looking at the DJ. They might turn around and look at the cricket now and then.

There are so many contrasts between the leagues…

Australia’s Big Bash is like being at home, in the UAE we stay at a five star resort with three different hotels, a nine hole golf course, driving range, beach…we’ve to everything there and can have a great experience.

Then there’s the Afghanistan premier league where you rock up and there are no team clothes – I remember training in a pair of short jeans and a t-shirt. Once everything arrived though, it was good fun.

Then you have a month in Pakistan with security…every time you are in a vehicle it is bulletproof, armed people around you 24/7, there are jammers so you can’t use cellphones on the way to games because of the bomb risk. I’m used to it now, I’ve been there five years, but the first time I landed there it was a shock.

But I’ve never felt unsafe at all in Pakistan and the people are so warm and welcoming. They are so passionate about cricket, and so excited to have it back.

You must have a terrific wall planner…

It’s kind of hard to do the planning but easy when you have a supportive wife – Tehere and I have been together since I was 17, so she’s been with me throughout the cricket journey.

Tehere got a nursing degree early and got into her own career but the family has often travelled with me particularly when our two kids were under five, and it has been great for a life balance.

It’s quite rare, compared to other players – speaking to Ross Taylor, I know he wishes he had travelled with his family more.

I can go up and down quite quickly – having the family around helps keep my head level.

You’ve played an incredible 428 T20 games so far…does one innings stand out?

Two years ago, in the Pakistan Super League game at Dubai (for Islamabad United), I hit 90 off 36 balls…everything clicked from ball one.

Andre Russell had gone off with concussion and Naseem Shah was the substitute (for Quetta Gladiators) and I thought ‘Oh man’ this guy bowls rockets. But it felt like he was bowling into the middle of my bat that day. It was one of these days when you are on auto pilot, not thinking about anything else, in the zone, enjoying it. I was batting with Usman Khawaja and before we had blinked, we’d knocked the total off.

The Caribbean Premier League is known as ‘The Biggest Party in Sport’. Photo / Getty Images

Low points?

I got real low during my first year in the PSL playing for Karachi, in 2018. I told my wife ‘I’m done”. I thought it would be easy, with her and the kids there. But everything I did…there was no luck, I was getting out in weird ways, and I thought I wasn’t cut out for it. A week later my wife asked ‘are you still done?’ and I said yeah. She said I still had a lot to offer, and suggested I talk to someone about the mental side of the game. That’s when I went to see Walshy (mental skills coach Aaron Walsh).

How did that go?

Aaron was with Auckland at the time – he’s also been with the Chiefs rugby team, and is now with Scotland rugby. The first time we met, we walked a couple of laps at Eden Park, chewed the fat, me talking, him listening.

Walshy says the top performances keep us coming back for more, but make sure that cricket doesn’t define who you are as a person. It’s just a job you do.

My missus has also helped me out heaps.

How so?

I used to have a really bad temper – I was a bit of an animal on the field, in my 20s and early 30s. She told me to think about how the kids would want to see me, whenever I was a bit upset.

I used to have white line fever and go overboard. I’d get fined with Auckland and stepped down from games.

Tehere told me to think about the kids. They don’t want to see their dad acting like a pork chop on the field.

I can still get a bit upset with myself, but it had become a bad habit. Now, I smile and crack on with it.

It is a game that can drive people crazy though…

People look at outcomes – they don’t look at how you were dismissed, or even know what your role in the team is. They see that Colin got 20 off 12 balls and threw it away, when your role in the team that day was to win the powerplay. I’m not so outcome-based anymore, I’m more process driven. I don’t like stats.

What about the stat that ranked you as the world’s number one batsman in T20 a few years ago?

Those rankings don’t mean much to me although it does to some players. Obviously that was nice, but those rankings are so up and down. Am I really the best T20 batter in the world? I don’t think so, even at my peak. I rate myself highly, but not the best in the world. I’d like to be remembered as someone who did what was needed to win a game at the time. It’s not about my average or strike rate.

Who is the best T20 batter in the world right now?

Guys like Mohammad Rizwan or Babar Azam give you sheer runs, although their strike rates aren’t so great. Matchwinners? Heinrich Klaasen is the best in the world – his striking is unbelievable. He’s been one of the best for 18 months.

Are you still hoping to make the World Cup team?

(Black Caps coach) Gary Stead called me in January, checking on my availability, saying my name had come up in selection meetings. I told him I hadn’t retired, and if my name is coming up, I’d like to get picked.

But unfortunately this T20 series in Pakistan is in April – after four months on the road it is my time off and I need to prioritise my physical and mental health.

The New Zealand top order is doing an outstanding job at the moment – Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson at No. 3, Daryl Mitchell at No. 4. It would be tough for any of them to be left out for someone who hasn’t played for four years. I’ve probably put a bit of a dampener on my chances by not going to Pakistan this month.

Any thoughts on how test cricket can be protected in a world full of T20 leagues and their riches?

I think world cricket needs to do something about bringing in a blanket match fee for each player. It’s got to be good, to keep players in test cricket longer…maybe US$20,000 or $25,000 per game.

How long can you keep playing…and what comes next?

Captaincy in various franchises has given me added motivation, and I’m still really enjoying it.

I’ve got a degree in applied management but I want to stay in cricket – I don’t have any other interests. Staying in high performance sport would be ideal and I’ve got a lot to offer, from my personal journey of ups and downs.

I’ve had to do a lot of things my way, without a lot of people around me. My wife and I say it’s been me and her against the world.

Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.