Black Caps newcomer Colin Munro says South Africa haven’t seen the best of New Zealand’s rookies, and tips the lesser-known players to feature in the deciding Twenty20 match in Port Elizabeth on Thursday (NZT).
The series is tied at one apiece, after New Zealand bounced back from an eight-wicket defeat first up in Durban to take the second T20 by the same margin in East London on Monday.
Munro was in at the death in the Black Caps win, pairing for the final two overs with century-maker Martin Guptill, who hit the winning runs with a four off the last ball.
Durban-born Munro’s contribution was limited to eight runs off seven balls, but he worked well with Guptill to get New Zealand home after they needed 11 runs from the final over.
One of five newcomers to the Black Caps, Munro says the rookies haven’t yet had the chance to really demonstrate their abilities.
“South Africa probably think we rely on only a couple of players, but they haven’t seen the best of Jimmy Neesham or Corey Anderson yet with the bat,” he said.
“If they get the chance, they can hit the ball a very long way. The South Africans haven’t seen that yet, so I think they could play a big role.”
Another rookie in pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, recently elevated to the New Zealand squad for the two-Test series starting next week, has also targeted a strong performance in Port Elizabeth.
He says the South Africans are fielding a quality Twenty20 line-up as they look towards the next Twenty20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I’ll be trying to take wickets, trying to knock off the openers with early balls. We need to take three in the first six overs, and that’s my role.”
Both Munro and McClenaghan say the message from captain Brendon McCullum has remained the same, despite the differing results from the first two T20s.
“We’ve had the same message from game one. Being a positive guy, Brendon says just to go out there and be positive, play your natural game,” Munro said.