CRICKET:EOIN MORGAN put himself firmly in the frame for selection in England's opening one-day international against West Indies next week with a stunning innings of 161 for Middlesex as they secured an 80-run victory over Kent in the Friends Provident Trophy at Canterbury yesterday.

The 22-year-old Dubliner’s chances of making the starting X1 for the Headingley clash on Thursday week will no doubt be helped by the fact the Sky Sports cameras were showing the game live as Morgan showed all the invention that convinced the England selectors to name him in both their one-day and Twenty20 World Cup squads recently.

Morgan was also named in Ireland’s provisional squad for the same tournament, with his place in the final 15 going to 18-year-old Belfast student Paul Stirling.

Coming in after Phillip Hughes and England player Owais Shah had departed with the score on 31, Morgan shared a Middlesex one-day record stand of 277 with Nick Compton to help the county post their best 50-over total of 322 for five.

He hit 12 fours and one maximum as he brought up his third one-day century for Middlesex off 93 balls and went on to pass his previous best List A score of 115, made for Ireland against Canada in February 2007. He did enjoy some luck, dropped twice as the Kent fielders struggled with the swirling breeze but he took full advantage before departing for 161, caught by Wayne Parnell off the bowling of Azhar Mahmood. In total he faced 136 deliveries, hitting 19 fours and two sixes.

He wasn’t the only Irishman in the runs yesterday as fellow left-hander and former Middlesex team-mate Ed Joyce scored his second one-day century for his new county Sussex in their FP Trophy game against Durham at Hove. The Bray native’s innings of 127 was also his best score in a List A one-day game.