Colin Munro’s view of his BBL 99 not out shows why he doesn’t play for stats anymore

Colin Munro on his way to 99* against the Melbourne Stars. Photo / Getty Images

Colin Munro could be forgiven for being a little miffed as he was stranded one run short of a milestone for his Brisbane Heat side in Australia’s Big Bash.

But perhaps it is a sign of a change in mindset that the 36-year-old has a pragmatic outlook on his 99 not out against the Melbourne stars.

The former Black Caps run-plunderer told Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave being so close to a century may have stung in the past, but not so much now.

“If you’d go back four or five years ago and I was playing for stats all that sort of thing then obviously it would have a little bit, but at the end of the day what’s the difference between 99 and 100? It’s one run.”

Playing good cricket is what Munro says continues to drive him, rather than individual accolades.

“At the end of the day it’s a stat that’s going to be forgotten when I’ve finished cricket anyway so to me it doesn’t really matter. It’s all about a good performance.”

The rise of domestic T20 tournaments like the Big Bash League means you have unique squad makeups of international stars all plying their trade together and Munro says he takes great enjoyment out of spending time in the middle with Australian representatives.

“It was awesome to bat along side those boys that play in the Aussie side. [Usman] Khawaja, I played with him at Islamabad so we kind of know how each other operate a little bit and then to bat with Marnus [Labushange] obviously he’s a bit faster between the wickets, I had to tell him to slow down a little bit there but it was good fun.”

Since Munro stepped away from the international game he tells Waldegrave cricket has become about enjoyment and playing a natural game, without higher honours being in the back of your mind.

“When you play each game you’re thinking ‘oh I want to get back in the Black Caps’ or ‘keep my spot in the Black Caps’ and you sort of have that one eye on performing every single game, it can get you down mentally and if you’re not performing well it can put you in a dark spot.

“If you think I’m just going to stick to my plan and my processes for 10 games, if it comes off two or three times you’ve actually had an okay tournament.”

Being realistic with his own performances and playing the way he knows works for him allows him to translate what he does in practice into games.

“Having that anxiety of trying to perform every single game can really wear you down and take away your natural instincts and off some of your shot selections that you usually play in the nets for free.

“Just try to bring it back and be really, really basic to be honest. Cricket’s a really simple game just complicated by mind games and guys trying to over complicate the game.”

Cricket players in the modern era are not presented with more opportunities than ever to carve out lucrative careers touring the myriad of domestic T20 leagues around the world. Munro says while the money is a factor and perhaps was more important a few years ago, focusing on his performance rather than pay cheque is more sustainable.

“Obviously it’s good money but that’s not my driving force. It probably was two or three years ago when I gave up my Auckland contract to go and play Big Bash. But having a chat to my wife who’s pretty switched on she said if you’re just doing it for the money then you’re not going to be able to perform because it’s just going to be money, money, money the whole time.”

“But that’s out the window now and just focusing on each performance and trying to have a bit of fun. I’m very lucky to do what I do, I’m very grateful and hopefully I can do it for another couple of years and then after cricket I can do exactly what I want to do.”

Will Toogood is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has previously worked for Newstalk ZB’s digital team and at Waiheke’s Gulf News, covering sports and events.