Morton blasts MCC away

Runako Morton timely found form ahead of the 3rd Test between England and the West Indies, with 201 against a young MCC XI.

The innings is a welcome relief for the luckless tourists, 1-0 down in the Test series having lost their captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, for the tour and Chris Gayle earlier in this match. Running out of players who can score runs, Morton will be hoping to replicate his innings come Thursday’s Test.

Morton tore an inexperienced MCC attack apart, smashing 27 fours and 5 sixes in his 246 ball innings, before being trapped lbw by Simon Butler. Supported by forties from Daren Ganga (47) and Sylvester Joseph (41), Morton was the driving force in propelling the West Indians to a score of 340-4, in response to MCC’s 260 all out, come stumps.

Resuming on 234-7, the MCC tail offered little resistance to the tourists. Mali Richards, son of West Indian legend Viv, added just 6 to his overnight score of 20 before falling to Fidel Edwards. Edwards also claimed Robbie Williams (1) and Darren Sammy picked up Ruel Braithwaite (8) to finish the MCC’s innings and leave the battling Shaaiq Choudhry stranded on 54.

In responce, Morton was the main aggressor as Ganga and Joseph settled into anchor the partnerships with the Leeward Islander.

With Morton rampaging at a strike-rate of over 80, MCC captain Sanath Jayasuria went through eight bowlers looking for some sort of control, yet only he, with 6 overs for 5 runs, provided it.

The tourists are well poised to wrap up a moral boosting victory, albeit against inexperienced and inferior opposition, on the third and final day’s play tomorrow.

MCC 260
Shaaiq Choudhry 54, Laurie Evans 51
Jerome Taylor 5-43, Fidel Edwards 3-66

West Indies 340-4
Runako Morton 201, Daren Ganga 47
James Morris 1-43, Robbie Williams 1-47