Colin Munro: Meet the New Zealand cricketer who slammed a 14-ball fifty

QUICK PILL

• Colin Munro (50*) and Martin Guptill (63) guided New Zealand to a nine-wicket win against Sri Lanka.

• Martin Guptill, who smashed six fours and five sixes, also brought up his fifty in just 19 balls.

• Yuvraj Singh\'s 12-ball fifty remains at the top in the list of fastest half-centuries in T20 Internationals.

Riding on a sensational batting display, New Zealand inflicted a crushing nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20 International and sealed the series 2-0 in Auckland on 10 January.

Also read: Why betting in cricket should be legalised in India

Martin Guptill (63) and Colin Munro (50*) were at their prolific best as the Kiwis chased down the moderate Sri Lankan total of 142 runs in just 10 overs. Guptill first rewrote the record books when he took just 19 deliveries to bring up his eighth half-century in the T20Is.

Also read: Cricket fan Justice RM Lodha bats for sports betting

Guptill, who recorded the fastest fifty for New Zealand in T20s, was eventually dismissed for 63 after smashing six boundaries and five sixes. However, just five overs later, the record was eclipsed by Munro who brought up his fifty in a mere 14 deliveries.

The left-hander brought up his fifty and sealed the win for his side with a towering six. His innings, which was comprised of one four and seven sixes, was also the second fastest in international cricket behind India's Yuvraj Singh achieved the feat in 12 balls against England in 2007.

Lankan batting fails miserably

Photo: Michael Bradley/AFP

Sri Lanka's innings were held together by skipper Angelo Mathews (81*), while opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a crucial 28. No other batsman was able to get into double digits for the visitors.

After being asked to bat, the Lankan top-order failed to get their innings going, slumping to 39/3 in the seventh over. With the onus on their middle-order, the Lankan batsmen failed to capitalise on Eden Park's small boundaries as their predictable slogs and lack of patience led to the team's downfall.

The Kiwis varied their pace, line, length and flight to deny the opposition batsmen any chance of scoring freely. Part-time bowler Grant Elliott was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with his spell of 4/22, while Adam Milne and Mitchell Santner took two wickets apiece.

Meet Colin Munro

Photo: Michael Bradley/AFP

The South Africa-born hard-hitting batsman, Colin Munro, made his first-class debut in 2006. However, his batting prowess was not realised till the 2011-12 domestic season, when he scored a century and three fifties for Auckland.

Next season, he did even better, smashing three hundreds in six innings - including the sensational knock of 252-ball 269 against Wellington. It was also the second highest score for the Auckland Aces behind Bill Carson's record score of 290 that dates back to 1936/37 season.

After becoming the top-scorer in the domestic T20 competition, Munro was included in the New Zealand squad for the series against Sri Lanka for the No. 3 slot. Given Brendon McCullum's international retirement recently, Munro is likely to fill the void for the Kiwis.

Five fastest fifties in T20Is

Photo: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP

1. Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh holds the record for the fastest fifty in the shortest version of the game. The southpaw achieved the feat in a mere 12 balls while batting against England during the 2007 World T20. The left-handed batsman smashed three fours and seven sixes for India who recorded an 18-run win over the Englishmen.

2. New Zealand batsman Colin Munro recorded the second fastest fifty in T20Is while batting against Sri Lanka at Auckland in 2016. The left-hander brought up his fifty in 14 balls after smashing one four and seven sixes. His knock guided New Zealand to a nine-wicket win in just 10 overs.

3. Given his batting prowess, Jamaican marauder Chris Gayle is no stranger in this list. The explosive left-hander smashed a sizzling 31-ball 77 to cut a sorry figure for the South African bowlers in 2015. During his fiery innings, Gayle also brought up his fifty in 17 balls as West Indies responded to the Proteas total of 165 runs in style. His knock guided West Indies to a four-wicket win over Faf du Plessis' men.

4. Ireland's Paul Stirling is placed fourth in the list of players with fastest fifties in T20Is. The right-hander achieved the feat in 17 deliveries while batting against Afghanistan in 2012. Stirling was eventually dismissed for 79 runs after he smashed nine fours and three sixes. Ireland won the World T20 qualifier game by five wickets.

5. Netherlands batsman Stephan Myburgh smashed a breathtaking 23-ball 63 to ensure his side came out on top against Ireland in 2014. The left-handed batsman brought up his fifty in just 17 balls to lead the chase for his side in the World T20 tie. He also smashed four boundaries and seven sixes in his innings as the Dutchmen hammered Ireland by six wickets.