No one in the kiwi cricket whare would have been surprised that Colin Munro and Ross Taylor were left out of the Blackcaps T20 World Cup squad. The Niche Cache has been covering how Taylor was bumped out of the T20I mix back in 2017, while it didn't take a star-gazer connecting mystical energies to know that Munro was being bumped out of the Blackcaps when he opted to opt out of the NZC contracting system to pursue global T20 opportunities.

Both have been victims of politricks and while that requires a bit of explanation, I'm more curious as to whether Munro and Taylor warrant selection as straight up T20 batsmen. What happens when the politricks are subtracted from this equation?

There is a steady record of Taylor's T20I neglect. There is no reason for niggle between NZC and Taylor, the only difference in opinions here seem to revolve around how each party views Taylor's T20 batting and what he would offer the squad in a major tournament. Any time Taylor is mentioned in a NZC press release as to why he was left out of a T20I squad, there is some kinda note that at the very least lacks self-awareness. We've highlighted these over the years and the latest offering included these paragraphs in both press releases...

That's fine and can be viewed as lacking any niggle. This is a trend though and the most respectful thing NZC could do was offer Taylor three ODIs in Pakistan in the midst of a pandemic. Obviously Taylor isn't going to want any part of that and while this is getting deep in the mangroves; why even try explain that in both squad announcements? Just say Taylor is taking a break and it's all good, he is an Aotearoa hero after all.

For Taylor, everything here is a continuation of the status-quo. Munro's situation is a wee bit more interesting as it features a Big Bash League vs NZC battle that has been lurking for a while now. I actually wrote about this specific instance back in 2017 (same timeline as the Taylor stuff lol) with regards to Murno, BBL and NZC.

Kiwis once enjoyed free passage to play BBL, however with NZC scheduling Super Smash and Blackcaps T20I cricket in the same window that free passage quickly clogged up. This not only stops contracted players (NZC and domestic contracts) playing BBL where they will earn more money, play in front of more fans and against better opposition - it stops the best T20 players from around the world playing in the Super Smash as they'd rather play BBL.

Adam Milne played in last summer's BBL after being released from his Central Districts Stags contract. Milne is back with a CD Stags contract this summer, so don't expect him to play BBL. Here we get deeper into the politricks as Milne has been graced with every opportunity to return to Blackcaps T20I cricket, while Munro has been graced with every opportunity to be shown the exit door.

We have all heard a yarn from the kiwi cricket landscape about Munro's prickly nature, which has obviously impacted matters in some way. Whether that's the difference between him and Milne, I don't know. Both are in-demand T20 players around the world, who opted to pursue BBL opportunities with similar levels of success (Munro was better last summer) and they have very different results.

Gary Stead explained Munro's absence: "Colin was still available but for the World Cup only. He wasn't available for any other tours at all and we talked through that decision".

The Blackcaps involved in the IPL are only available for the World Cup, yet again everything is different for Munro. Whether it's the Milne comparison or this comparison, Munro is obviously being squeezed out. Right or wrong it is what it is, yet everyone's being cute about it.

This is interesting because across all the squads named, there is little acknowledgement of Aotearoa's T20 exports who compete in the professional T20 player market. My view for a T20 World Cup would be that the best T20 players from Aotearoa are selected, regardless of how they fit into other tours or other formats. Every T20 World Cup, West Indies assemble their army of T20 troopers who don't do much else for West Indies and they go well. All Blacks Sevens select their best Sevens players on offer, they don't buzz about how they fit into All Blacks rugby.

I'm probably too fascinated by how NZC interacts with the changing landscape of international cricket. The Super Smash is isolated from the world, while NZC is selective about where they allow their players to play T20 cricket around the world. That was raised by the Niche Cache back in 2017 and here we are, matters escalating further.

As for the stats and facts...

Munro is the leading Blackcaps T20I run-scorer since January 1st 2017 and Taylor is 5th. Two of the top-five Blackcaps T20I run-scorers aren't good enough for the Blackcaps T20 World Cup squad?

Prior to that Pakistan Super League shown above, Munro finished 5th in last summer’s Big Bash League (31.64avg/128.03sr) and is 10th for runs in The Hundred (33avg/136.36sr).

Munro has played nine years of T20I cricket averaging 30+ in five of them, with strike-rates over 150 in five of them.

Munro played the most T20I games per year of his career in 2018 and 2019 (12 games). Before playing five games in 2020 and then being cut.

2018: 12 games, 45.45avg/178.57sr - best year of his career.

2019: 12 games, 22.41avg/154.59sr.

2020: 5 games, 35.60avg/130.88sr - third best year of his career.

It’s important here to note that between 2013 - 2017, Taylor’s annual T20I average bumped up over 25 just once (2016 with 29avg). That is a clear dip in Taylor’s T20I production and obviously led to him being dropped.

Taylor was suddenly back in demand starting 2018 up until last summer and produced the goods with what is the best three-year run of Taylor’s T20I career…

2018: 10 games, 38.20avg/126.49sr.

2019: 11 games, 27.60avg/125.45sr.

2020: 7 games, 33.20avg/127.69sr.

That’s the best three-year run as far as both games played and batting stats go since Taylor’s debut in 2006. These three years are also the three years leading into the 2021 T20 World Cup and the year of the T20 World Cup, Taylor is suddenly back to not being wanted. Taylor wasn’t wanted, then he was wanted and obliged with the best three-year run of his T20I career, and then wasn’t wanted.

No matter how they have been treated, Munro and Taylor have let their runs speak for them. The emergence of Devon Conway has definitely cluttered matters up the top of the order for Munro, yet that isn't reason for Munro not to fit into a squad when less productive batting options have been selected. My argument for Taylor has always been about who you want at the crease in a knockout game for the 'save the innings' and 'polish the innings scenarios. Taylor can do both, he can do everything.

Whether Munro or Taylor fit into a Blackcaps T20I 1st 11 is open for debate. Both have solid cases for squad selection, yet this isn't about what Munro and Taylor have done to command selection. This is about how others view Munro and Taylor, how those opinions have become trends and it's a reminder that professional sport isn't always about what you do but how selectors and coaches perceive what you do.

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