Colin Munro to turn McCullum's lessons against master in BBL semi

Colin Munro of the Sixers bats during the Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Stars. Photo/Getty Images

Former Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum will be hoping his mentoring of fellow Kiwi Colin Munro does not come back to haunt him in Wednesday's Big Bash League semi-final.

Munro represented New Zealand with McCullum, but only forged a serious bond with the him while playing together in the Caribbean Premier League last winter.

Munro said McCullum encouraged him to always be aggressive, regardless of recent results with the bat.

And Munro will adopt that very mindset, when trying to break the hearts of Heat players and their supporters, who have sold out the Gabba again.

The 29-year-old left-hander is also keen to make the most of his third and final Sixers match, given he will miss Saturday's final - provided the Sixers qualify - as he prepares for New Zealand's Chappell-Hadlee one-day opener on Monday against Australia.

Despite coming into the BBL on the back of a T20 century for the Black Caps, Munro made one on debut for the Sixers, then just three when promoted to No.3 at the expense of out-of-form Nic Maddinson.

"Wednesday will be epic," said Munro. "Brendon is a mentor of mine and I've used him a lot, in terms of the way I go about things.

"We played together in the CPL and it was there, outside of international pressure, I got to know him more, and he opened up about things and formed a relationship.

"At the end of that tournament, I asked would he mind if I kept using him as a mentor, because I try to model my game a lot off the way he played.

"He tells me to be aggressive and to keep taking that aggressive option. You don't always be successful, but that's the way cricket goes."

While Munro was aware of the rivalry between the Aussies and Kiwis, he was unaware of the hostilities existing between NSW and Queensland.

"I'm sure there will be a bit of banter," said Munro. "I might have to get some tips off [Brad] Haddin for some sledging.

While Munro would love to help the Sixers reach the final against Perth or the Melbourne Stars, he was just as pumped to help New Zealand bounce back from the one-day whitewash against Australia before Christmas.

"The biggest difference was we didn't have one of our top five batsman get 100 like the Aussie boys did," Munro said.

"Losing the series 3-0 wasn't great, but the last time we played the Chappell-Hadlee series at home, we won, so there's a bit of momentum there and hopefully, after a good series win against Bangladesh, the boys will come out and play some good cricket."