Ridley Jacobs announces intention to retire

Ridley Jacobs, who experienced a whitewash at the hands of an overbearing South Africa in his very first series, has said he will hang up his boots at the end of the West Indian first-class season. However, if his injured knee acts up again - as it did earlier this summer - Jacobs said that he would reconsider his position.

Jacobs, now aged 37, was a sprightly 31 when he made his Test debut for West Indies, two years after his first one-dayer, and has played in 65 Tests and 147 limited-over internationals. Only Jeff Dujon, among West Indian wicketkeepers, has played more in both forms of the game.

"I think the upcoming season will be my last year in first-class cricket so I want to give it my best shot and come out on a high," Jacobs said to the Antigua Sun after he was selected in the Leeward Islands squad of 16 for the Carib Beer series. "Most definitely I am looking forward to playing with Leeward [Islands]."

But Jacobs had concerns about his damaged knee, which caused him to miss the last two Tests in England. He did not participate in the Champions Trophy either, which West Indies eventually won. But he believed that the knee was "progressing very well". He added: "It is giving me a little bit of pain, but nothing to the extent that will stop me from bending, running or things like that."

Jacobs got a chance to assess the problem when he played for an Antiguan XI against a West Indies women's team recently. "After the match the knee felt OK because I did not feel any pain... so I guess it will hold up," he said, before reflecting on the eventuality of any recurring pain. "If it holds up, I'll play. But if not, I will just sit out the season."