Cricket: Colin Munro has eye on top spot to fulfil Cup dream

Colin Munro has been keen to move up the order since Brendon McCullum retired. Photo / Photosport

Colin Munro is eyeing a specific role in the next World Cup as he looks to make a long-term fist of his place in New Zealand's limited-overs teams.

The blockbusting Auckland batsman will open in the ODIs against the West Indies alongside fellow leftie George Worker, with the injured Martin Guptill still awaiting a return from his hamstring problem.

He has his eyes on the World Cup in 2019 and figures opening offers him potentially the best chance of nailing a spot in the squad.

"I don't think I can go back into the middle order and perform the role as well as the guys who are there at the moment," Munro said yesterday ahead of Wednesday's first ODI.

"So this is my last chance to make the World Cup team, my chance to put my hand up and hopefully be that man who scores big runs this summer and keeps going to the World Cup. That's a big carrot in my career."

Munro opened with some success in the ODIs and T20s in India recently.

His 75 off 62 balls in the deciding ODI at Kanpur almost helped New Zealand get over the line, falling six runs short.

Colin Munro sets sights on the 2019 World Cup. Photo / Getty

In the T20s, he larruped an unbeaten 109 off just 58 balls at Rajkot, putting on 105 in 11 overs for the first wicket with Guptill to help lay the foundation for a 40-run victory.

In his 27 ODIs, Munro has made four half centuries, averages 26.95 with a strike rate of 99.3. In 35 T20s, he's averaging 27.84, with two centuries - 101 off 54 balls at No 3 against Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui last summer - and the Rajkot ton, and has a booming strike rate of 152.42.

Munro has long been seen as an aggressive No 3 or middle order batsman. He said he had pitched the idea of going up to the top to the selectors a while back.

"They weren't totally against it at the start, but they weren't all for it," Munro said.

"When Brendon McCullum retired, I thought maybe there's a chance to go up. I wasn't playing regular one-day cricket [for New Zealand] at the time, so I thought it's time to do something different.

"It just gives me freedom to go out and play my natural game and put pressure back on the bowlers.

"Sometimes in the middle order, you've got different scenarios, so for me to go out and play one way makes things a lot easier. If I can do half as good a job as Brendon, then I'll be doing pretty well."