Munro blasts record ton to power Kiwis to series win
mount maunganui — New Zealand’s master blaster Colin Munro attributed his record-setting century to sink the West Indies in the third Twenty20 in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday to a hit-andhope philosophy.
“I try and go out there and swing from ball one and see what happens,” he said after blazing 104 off 53 deliveries.
On the back of Munro’s heroics, New Zealand won the third Twenty20 by 119 runs to complete a sweep of the tour by the West Indies, having won both Tests, all three oneday internationals and two T20s. Munro became the first player to score three centuries in international T20s, going one clear of four other players, including the West Indies’ Chris Gayle.
“If I’m lucky enough to get a good start, I try and carry that momentum and if it’s my night, it’s my night and if not then back to the drawing board,” said the 30-yearold left-hander, who cracked 10 sixes and three fours.
New Zealand made 243 for five in their 20 overs and the West Indies’ reply ended at 124 for nine in 16.3 overs, with Shai Hope unable to bat after being injured while fielding. Munro was named man of the series after scores of 53 and 104 in the two completed Twenty20s and 66 in the washed-out second match.
The West Indies, desperate to get at least one win on the tour, tried every trick in their playbook but captain Carlos Brathwaite admitted Munro was too good.
“He took the game away from us,” Brathwaite said.
“Some of (our) plans we executed and he got past them. Some of them we didn’t execute as well as we wanted to and he capitalised,” he added. —