India's tour of West Indies

Fourth Test, St John's, Antigua, day five:
India 1st innings 513-9 declared; West Indies 1st innings 628-9: Match drawn

Ridley Jacobs scored a brutal hundred as for the first time in Test history two wicketkeepers clocked-up centuries in the same match.

Jacobs's career-best 118 followed Ajay Ratra's 115 in the India innings and brought up a signficiant milestone as the fourth Test ended in a draw.

The West Indian, playing in front of his home crowd in Antigua, reached his century when he lifted VVS Laxman over the midwicket boundary.

Scorecard | Match report | Statistics

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The freak injury to spinner Anil Kumble has cost India dearly, says captain Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly believes India would have made more of a game of the fourth Test against the West Indies - which ended in a draw - had it not been for Kumble's broken jaw.

Kumble is India's most successful current bowler with 319 wickets in 70 Tests. Ganguly said: "We missed a spinner on this pitch.

"If Anil was around we would have made a match of it."

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Rising star Virender Sehwag is in line for a recall to the Indian squad for the one-day series in the West Indies.

The 23-year-old was not considered for selection for the five Test matches after damaging a shoulder earlier this year.

But he has now satisfied the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he is ready to resume his career.

"Sehwag is absolutely fit and is up for selection," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.

Sri Lanka in England

England fast bowler Darren Gough is unavailable for any of the three Tests against Sri Lanka following a recurrence of his knee injury.

The Yorkshireman had surgery in March after suffering the injury during the final one-day international in New Zealand.

But now he needs another operation, which is expected to sideline him for up to a month. The better news is that Gough should be ready to return for the triangular one-day series against Sri Lanka and India in June.

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The chances of batsman John Crawley being fit for Thursday's first Test against Sri Lanka appear to be improving.

Crawley joined up with the England squad for the first time in three years on Monday and experienced no discomfort from a back problem during indoor practice.

But rain prevented the squad from training outside and a final decision on Crawley's fitness has been put off for 24 hours.

"We've had three or four sessions today and it's improved immeasurably. It should be 100 per cent tomorrow," he said.

Australia's tour of Pakistan

Pakistan cricket officials have pleaded with Australia not to pull out of a tour to the country later this year because of security fears.

Captain Steve Waugh and bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne believe it is too dangerous to tour following last week's bomb attack in Karachi.

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Shane Warne says he will not travel with the Australian cricket team if they choose to go ahead with a tour of Pakistan later this year, due to security fears.

"If the tour is on in Pakistan I don't think I would be going...If it was tomorrow and we were going I wouldn't be going, no way...I've got three kids and there is a lot more at stake when you've got a family," Warne told reporters at the Laureus Sports Awards.

Miscellaneous

Bitter rivalry on Sri Lanka's control board has erupted into the open with the resignation of four office bearers ahead of next month's key International Cricket Council meeting.

Four men, including the secretary and the treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket, quit in protest at a government decision to nominate former board chief Tilanga Sumathipala to attend the ICC meeting at Lords.

"What is likely to happen is that the government will nominate four new members and perhaps even reconstitute the board completely in the next few days," a top cricket official said.

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English counties will be allowed to increase the number of overseas professionals at each team from one to two.

Members of England's First Class Forum have approved the measure despite opposition from the country's Professional Cricketers Association , concerned about job prospects for its members.

The increase is seen as a response to increasing demands on the international calendar and the introduction of central contracts awarded to English Test players.

From the Counties - slide show

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It is time to get Barry Richards back on board as South Africa start planning for next year's World Cup campaign.

Many names have been mentioned as experts to be brought into the picture.

But the one constantly missing is the most obvious of them all.

Richards may only have played four Tests (with a batting average of 72), but he did enough in those games and the rest of his first-class career for Don Bradman to name him in his all-time XI.

The best players don't necessarily make the best technical advisers, but Richards has proved his worth and is in constant demand as a consultant throughout the cricketing world.

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