It's always sad to learn of the death of an international sportsman, especially in a tragic road accident. Runako Morton may not have reached world class but he did get to represent the West Indies 78 times in all. Not bad for a boy from the tiny island of Nevis. He starred for the Leeward Islands as a teenager, from which he played for several years and earning a call-up for the maroon cap in 2002.
He debuted in an ODI against Pakistan but threw away his chance of a first Test appearance by being found out lying about the 'death' of his grandmother. It was another three years before being handed a second chance on a tour of Sri Lanka. His first innings was 43 but then he was one of four Chaminda Vaas victims in the second, out for a two-ball duck. He made only ten in the next game but, as the Windies struggled to hold on to a consistent middle order, Morton managed to play Tests against each of the main Test playing nations, apart from India, over the next three years. However, in fifteen outings, the best score he could muster was 70 not out against New Zealand. In almost half his Test innings, he failed to reach double figures.
He did, on the other hand, thump two centuries in the 50-over format, his strength better suited to ODIs. He played 56 of them, aggregating 1,519 runs at almost 34. OK, so not the stuff of superstardom, but he could sometimes hold his own amongst the likes of Gayle, Sarwan, Samuels, etc. I saw him play only once. It was in May 2007, when the Windies were making a late-scheduled tour of England. They had just one three-day practice game, at Taunton. It was cold, it was ruined by sharp showers, and just before the start, the captains had agreed it would not be a first-class fixture. Somerset played their reserves, yet the tourists were quickly reduced to 44-4. That left Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the unknown (to me) Runako Morton. Shiv did his usual flicks, nudges and cuts but Runako launched into Mark Turner and leg-spinner Michael Munday, directed mostly in the straight 'V'. Like most spectators I left before the end, after three hours of sunshine while the sodden outfield tried to dry out, so I missed seeing Morton reach three figures, after which he retired hurt.
His last game was in March 2011, playing for Trinidad & Tobago. Having scored 7 in the first innings, he missed the second after being arrested for marijuana possession. It was sadly just another episode in a long-running saga of disciplinary trouble. Whether involving knives, drugs, disrespect for authority, bad headlines followed him, even if he was cleared of the worst offences. He never played top-class cricket again but to die at just 33 is not the way to exit the sport, even if he was driving back from a game on Trinidad. Best to remember him for those powerful straight sixes which warmed that shivering crowd in Taunton five years ago.
