Runako Morton Summoned to Sharjah

It's Runako Morton. The West Indies selectors on Thursday called on the in-form Leeward Islands batsman batsman to fly to Sharjah to replace the injured Marlon Samuels for the ODI series against Pakistan.

Morton, who bowls a tidy off-spin, will jet out of the Caribbean tomorrow to join Carl Hooper's struggling team in time for the one-day series, which starts on February 14.

The 23-year-old, who hails from Nevis, is having a brilliant Busta Cup tournament, helping himself to 294 rounds in just two matches. In this year's tournament, he has scored 104 against Trinidad and is averaging 73.50.

There are quite a few batsmen also enjoying spectacular early returns but, in the case of Morton, his consistency in recent years must have helped his cause. A tall middle-order batsman, Morton was also among the top run-scorers in the 2000 championship, scoring 356 runs with a top score of 110 against Jamaica, his maiden first class century.

He also scored heavily against South Africa 'A' in the 2000 season.

The selectors could have opted for Lincoln Roberts or Devon Smith, who have both scored heavily in the early round matches. Roberts, the middle-order batsman from Trinidad and Tobago has helped himself to 267 runs with two centuries (avg. 89.00) while Smith, a plucky left-hander, is averaging 86.00 from three innings (258 runs).

The selection of Morton is a sign the selectors have completely forgiven him for past disciplinary indiscretions. Morton was expelled from the St. George's Cricket Academy last July for a series of infractions related to his arrival and sudden departure from the Academy.

Back then, a joint statement from the St. George's University, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and Shell Antilles & Guinas Ltd said: "The Shell Cricket Academy of St. George's University regrets to advise that Runako Morton of Nevis has been withdrawn from the programme for disciplinary reasons."

Reports say the problems stemmed from Morton's lateness in arriving at the academy following his wedding. He also allegedly left the academy without permission to visit his wife in Nevis.