A big thank you to Dubai Golf CEO Chris May for hosting one of my senior buddies, Mark Mouland, says the Dubai Golden Visa holder
Colin Munro, the 35-year-old New Zealand batter, has been named captain of the Desert Vipers squad.
Alongside a successful international career, Munro has gathered a vast wealth of T20 franchise cricket experience making him an ideal candidate for the job.
He is a true globetrotter having played in the Indian Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, the Caribbean Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash League, The Hundred in England, domestically in New Zealand, plus playing county cricket in England and Wales.
And when all that is added up to his international experience, from an Under-19 Cricket World Cup with New Zealand in Sri Lanka in 2006, to two editions of the T20 World Cup (2014 and 2016), the 50-over Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 and also a Test match for the Black Caps in South Africa in January 2013, it equals a very impressive body of work.
And while Munro has not had a lot of previous experience as captain, Director of Cricket Tom Moody said he believed he (Munro) was the best man for the job.
“I think when you have someone who has played the volume of cricket in franchise cricket, around the world as long as Colin has done, you don’t get someone better qualified, because he has worked in more dressing rooms than probably I have, and most people have, over his journey as a player," said Moody.
“He has seen many different leadership styles, seen the different trends the game has been taking over recent years, and has an intimate knowledge of players around the world in all different conditions. To me that adds up to a pretty powerful recipe for someone who is going to be making sound strategic decisions under pressure,” he added.
Munro said he was pleased to have the job, and was confident he could make a success of it. “This will be a new challenge for me and I have not had much captaincy experience but I have played a lot of cricket, and been around for a long time, and been part of leadership groups and senior committees on different teams that I have played in," Munro said.
Munro will join the Desert Vipers squad just before the ILT20 begins, flying in from Australia, having played eight games for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. Munro said his late arrival would be an advantage for him and the team. “The Big Bash League. is a good tournament to be involved in, and has high quality cricket, so hopefully I will be in good form, and hitting the ball well, and making sure I hit the ground running when I get to the UAE for the ILT20," said Munro.
A big thank you to Dubai Golf CEO Chris May for hosting one of my senior buddies, Mark Mouland, says the Dubai Golden Visa holder
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