Morton century revives West Indies

Sri Lanka A 66 for 1 v West Indies A 253 (Morton 114)
Scorecard

Runako Morton's rollercoaster career took another remarkable turn on the opening day of the second unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo, as he rescued West Indies A from a woeful start with a chanceless century. By stumps Sri Lanka A had reached 66 for 1 in reply to West Indies' 253, of which Morton had contributed 114.

The 26-year-old Morton's career looked to have ended four years ago when he was expelled from the West Indies Academy for a series of regulation breaches. Worse was to follow when he lied about the death of his mother to skip the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2002 and was then arrested in January last year following a stabbing incident.

But after yesterday's century, Morton said that he was totally focused on his cricket with West Indies A and that he had matured enough to put his murky past behind him and make a new start. It was Morton's sixth century in first-class cricket and, in his opinion, his best. And given the current contract crisis in the Caribbean, it may well ensure that he becomes one of the few players from the tiny island of Nevis to gain a Test cap for the West Indies.

"It was not an easy wicket to bat on," said Morton. "Some balls kept low and some high but I am happy I did it for the team when they were in some kind of trouble. It is not a total that one would expect on the first day of a match but it is better than what it was."

With a mixture of caution and aggression, Morton hit 14 fours and two sixes during his 216 minutes at the wicket, to rescued West Indies from a shaky 68 for 4. He found an able ally in Narasingh Deonarine and the pair shared a partnership of 106 in 111 minutes for the fifth wicket. Deonarine was eventually caught at short leg off Sajeewa Weerakoon for 54, having hit eight fours and a six.