Munro finds form, confidence at ideal time

Black Caps opener Colin Munro has warmed up for the England

Twenty20 series in style. Munro, captaining the New Zealand XI, blasted an unbeaten

107 from 57 balls, as they upset England by eight wickets in their

T20 tour match at Lincoln’s Bert Sutcliffe Oval yesterday.

The hard-hitting left-hander struck nine fours and seven sixes with the New Zealand XI winning with nine balls to spare.

It was a confidence-building innings from Munro, who had a Cricket World Cup to forget earlier this year, eventually losing his spot at the top of the order to Henry Nicholls late in the tournament.

Munro remains a key cog in

New Zealand’s T20 side and will bat in the top three alongside Martin Guptill and Tim Seifert in the five-match series against England, beginning at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on Friday.

Chasing 189 to win, Munro took the game away from England with his trademark destructive batting. He combined for an unbroken 138-run third wicket partnership with one-time New

Zealand T20 international Anaru Kitchen, who finished 48 not out.

England, who won the opening T20 tour match by six wickets on Sunday, would have been concerned by their sluggish bowling performance with all six bowlers

used struggling.

Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson were the only two bowlers to pick up a wicket.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, England amassed 188-5 from their 20 overs with

James Vince top scoring with 46.

They finished their innings powerfully with Joe Denly (39 not out) and Lewis Gregory (29 not out from 11 balls) hammering the New Zealand XI bowlers in the closing overs.