WICB Lifts Morton Ban

Mon, Aug 11, '03

 

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has agreed to lift the ban on Nevisian batsman Runako Morton to allow him to play in the Red Stripe Bowl in October after receiving a favourable report from Anguillan psychologist Dr Linda Oluwakemi Banks.

Dr Banks, the sister of acting WICB president Val Banks, was in charge of counselling Morton during the past year while he was serving a one year ban for several breaches of the board's code of conduct.

President of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA) Carlisle Powell told CaribbeanCricket.com the board agreed that Morton's suspension will end on September 30 this year, effectively clearing the way for the hard-hitting right-hander to appear in the Red Stripe Bowl. The ban was due to end on October 6th but after representation by LICA at the WICB's recent annual general meeting in Antigua, the board decided the grant the concession.

"Runako will then require the green light from Dr. Banks before he can play," Powell explained.

Powell denied reports that Morton appeared for Nevis in a recent LICA-sponsored game, which would be a violation of the WICB suspension. The LICA president explained that Morton represented Nevis in a friendly one-day match against St Kitts. The Berridge/Howell friendly match is held to celebrate the contributions of two players of yesteryear and is not played under the auspicies of LICA, Powell declared.

He said the LICA-sponsored NAGICO Leeward Islands Championship will start on September 12 to identify players for the Red Stripe Bowl.

Morton was suspended and fined 10 percent of his tour fee (for the 'A' team trip to the U.K and Canada) after appearing before the WICB's discipline committee last October. He was punished for making up a fake story to quit the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. On that tour, Morton told the West Indies team management that his grandmother had died. Subsequently, it was learnt that one of Morton's grandmothers died 16 years ago and the other is still alive.

In announcing the ban, the board said: "Morton was found guilty of engineering an early departure from the senior West Indies team tour to the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy series in Sri Lanka last September under false pretences, through methods to which the player has admitted, thereby bringing himself into disrepute."

The WICB further mandated that Morton must seek and receive professional counselling to correct the problems he is currently experiencing with the requisite assistance coming from the WICB through the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA).

"At the end of the suspension period, Morton will have to submit to the WICB cogent evidence that he underwent the counselling and is fit to resume participating in WICB sanctioned cricket matches," the board said at the time.

* EDITOR'S NOTE: After this report was posted, LICA president Carlisle Powell notified us that Dr. Banks had not yet presented her report on Morton to the WICB. As such, there is no way of knowing whether it will be favourable or not, Powell explained.