Fiery on and off the pitch, Runako Morton's cricket career looked to be dead in the water when he was expelled from the West Indian Academy in July 2001, for a series of regulation breaches. He refused to be bowed, however, and continued to accumulate runs for Leeward Islands in the Busta Cup. In February 2002, his penance complete, he was called into an injury-plagued West Indian squad as a replacement for Marlon Samuels, and was tipped to become one of the few Test cricketers from tiny island of Nevis. But he threw away his opportunity when he pulled out of the ICC Champions Trophy in September 2002, after lying about the death of his grandmother. His career slipped further down the pan when he was arrested in January 2004, following a stabbing incident, but in May 2005, he was given a third chance at redemption when he was recalled to the one-day squad to face South Africa although he didn't get a game. He got his chance later that month against Pakistan at home, and was then picked for the 2005-06 tour to New Zealand, where he proved his worth with a fighting century - his maiden one-day hundred - in a losing cause. He followed it up with another ton, in the away series against Zimbabwe, but soon made it into the record books for his painstaking 31-ball duck in the final of the DLF Cup against Australia in Malaysia. It was the slowest ODI duck, beating Phil Simmons's earlier record that had consumed 23 balls. It certainly got his eye in, however, as Morton made an unbeaten 90 in his next meeting with the Australians, in the Champions Trophy. From that moment on, however, his form fell away, and he was omitted from the West Indian squad for the subsequent World Cup. He won a recall for the tour of England in 2007 and then beat up on Zimbabwe in a lopsided ODI series, but was left out of the Test side to take on Sri Lanka after a disappointing series in South Africa.
Andrew Miller May 2008

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May 30, 2008 Runako Morton misfields the ball © Getty Images

May 25, 2008 Runako Morton is congratulated on a brilliant catch to remove Brad Haddin © DigicelCricket.com/Brooks La Touche Photography

May 24, 2008 Runako Morton muscles the ball past midwicket © DigicelCricket.com/Brooks La Touche Photography

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