Was it a blast from the past or just business as usual for Auckland Aces icon Colin Munro?
The T20 specialist delivered a power-hitting spectacle in the last game of the Super Smash’s regular season, in Auckland on Anniversary Day Monday.
Fatefully dropped off Brett Randell on nine, and off Joey Field on 28, he blasted a brutal 55 off just 30 balls against the Central Stags, his nine fours and one six helping the Aces set a big total of 219/5 in their 19 overs (weather-reduced) at Kennards Hire Community Oval.
PHOTOSPORT
With young gun Lachie Stackpole also firing on all cylinders (en route to a maiden T20 fifty), it was a rare treat for Aces fans to see the pair pour on 63 off just 36 balls together for the third wicket.
Stackpole, 20, was just a five-year old when Munro first started peppering the boundaries for the team. They are both scions of the Howick-Pakuranga club in East Auckland.
And, it was an invaluable knock from the left-handed Munro, after having been sent in: the Aces went on to survive the contest by just eight runs, and now get ready for Friday’s big Elimination Final at Hagley Oval on Friday.
He had first stepped back into his old Aces’ colours (admittedly a darker shade of blue since his HRV Cup days, 15 years ago) for the 22 January Super Smash doubleheader at the same ground, when the Auckland teams took on Northern Brave.
PHOTOSPORT
That was Munro’s first Super Smash match since the 2019/20 season, and he brought with him 460 T20 matches of experience and nearly 12,000 T20 career runs to the Aces’ dressing room, having represented an incredible 22 T20 teams around the globe in his long career.
He was pretty much fresh off the plane from representing the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s BBL, but at four got just a quick 22 off 12 before the Brave’s Tim Pringle got a big wicket in a solid Brave win.
Munro turns 39 soon, but shows no sign of it. Neither has his enthusiasm dimmed to entertain the punters in the fast and furious format.
That was evident on Monday, to the Stags’ misfortune.
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The bruising left-hander played all three formats for the BLACKCAPS in an international career that spanned eight years from 2012 to 2020, and formally retired from New Zealand availability in May 2024.
He represented New Zealand in 65 T20Is — with three centuries; 57 ODIs and a single Test, scoring more than 3,000 international runs and taking seven wickets and smashing a bunch of records with his speedy work.
He had moved on since as one of New Zealand’s most prolific franchise cricketers around the world.
MBUTCHER
From Pakuranga College to the present day, Munro has been a lifelong Ace and has played 72 T20s now for the side, for 1,484 runs at decent average of almost 30.
That includes seven half tons and a high of 89 a decade ago.
If “Manuz” is in the Aces’ squad for Friday, watch this space.
All matches are live and free to air on TVNZ+ and Duke on NZ screens, and livescores at nzc.nz and on the NZC app. Sport Nation will also broadcast audio commentary of the Finals.
