Morton Banned; Best & Benn Fined

Tue, Nov 12, '02

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has slapped a one-year ban on Leeward Islands batsman Runako Morton after its disciplinary committee found him guilty of breaching the board's code of conduct.

The board announced that Morton was banned with immediate effect for one year from participating in all cricket matches held under the auspices of or involving the WICB. He was also fined 10 percent of his tour fee for the 'A' team trip to the U.K and Canada.

Two other players -- Barbadians Sulieman Benn and Tino Best -- were also fined the maximum allowable 10 percent tour fee for on-field misconduct on the 'A' team tour. The three were grilled by the disciplinary committee in early October on the misconduct.

But it was Morton who got the brunt of the punishment, specifically because he quit the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka after telling 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 added.