DIRECTOR of cricket Steve Rhodes believes Colin Munro’s six-hitting ability will be a massive asset to Worcestershire in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast.

Munro, who was part of the Black Caps squad for the ICC World Twenty20, is set to make his home bow against Northants Steelbacks on Friday, May 30.

He impressed Rhodes during a rapid half-century when playing for New Zealand against Worcestershire during their pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi in March.

Rhodes said: “Colin’s six-hitting ability is really, really exciting and, in T20 cricket, people who can clear the ropes, like Andre Russell last year, are a big asset.

“In Abu Dhabi he played some great shots and really impressed me. Colin can hit the ball very cleanly, has a lot of confidence and is very brave when he is batting.

“What I mean by that is he is more than happy to take on shots that some other people might not and he backs himself.

“I think he is a little bit of an unknown to a lot of people but I do feel confident that at the end of 14 games, people will know a lot about him. “

Meanwhile, Munro revealed that he listened to words of encouragement from former Worcestershire all-rounder Dipak Patel before deciding to link up with the County.

He said: “I toured England with New Zealand for a one-day and T20 series either side of the Champions Trophy last summer but I’ve never played county cricket before so I’m looking forward to my time at Worcestershire.

“My Auckland coach, Dipak, who played for Worcestershire, told me that New Road is a wonderful place to play and that I will enjoy my time over there and learn a lot about my game.

Kenyan-born Patel played for Worcestershire from 1976 to 1986 and then emigrated to New Zealand for whom he made 37 Test and 75 ODI appearances, often opening the bowling with his off-spin in limited-overs cricket.

Munro added: "The reason I play cricket is to win trophies. It would be massive to help Worcestershire win the T20 Blast for the first time in their history and to take the opportunity to further develop my T20 game.

"Hopefully I can offer some value to the team and learn a lot from my Worcestershire team-mates in return."