This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/23/matt-prior-injury-doubt-england-middlesex
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Matt Prior’s England return likely to be delayed due to injury concerns | Matt Prior’s England return likely to be delayed due to injury concerns |
| (3 months later) | |
| Matt Prior will not keep wicket for Sussex in next week’s County Championship fixture against Middlesex, and may not even be fit to play as a batsman, throwing further doubt on his availability for the first Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at Lord’s next month. | Matt Prior will not keep wicket for Sussex in next week’s County Championship fixture against Middlesex, and may not even be fit to play as a batsman, throwing further doubt on his availability for the first Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at Lord’s next month. |
| England were keen for the 32-year-old to play at least two Championship matches to prove his complete recovery from the Achilles problem that has restricted him to a single appearance this season, in Sussex’s home game against Middlesex in April, when he scored a century but did not keep wicket. But Mark Robinson, the Sussex director of cricket, revealed on Friday that Prior “won’t keep” next week, and remains “50-50” to play at all. | |
| “He’s not been ruled out, I can say that,” added Robinson. “So we’re still hopeful of him playing as a batsman. But it’s not a straightforward line. We might even leave it until the day of the game.” | “He’s not been ruled out, I can say that,” added Robinson. “So we’re still hopeful of him playing as a batsman. But it’s not a straightforward line. We might even leave it until the day of the game.” |
| Sussex have only one more Championship match, at home to Nottinghamshire starting on 1 June, before England name their squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. That could open up an unlikely recall for Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter, or even the Essex captain James Foster, more than a decade since he won the last of his seven Test caps. | Sussex have only one more Championship match, at home to Nottinghamshire starting on 1 June, before England name their squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. That could open up an unlikely recall for Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter, or even the Essex captain James Foster, more than a decade since he won the last of his seven Test caps. |
| Kieswetter has never played a Test but has made 71 appearances in one-day and Twenty20 internationals, although his England days appeared to be over when he was sent home early from the one-day series in India and New Zealand in early 2013. The 26-year-old has impressed with the manner in which he has responded to that setback, but the possibility of Foster being called in from the cold will be seen as a much more romantic alternative. | Kieswetter has never played a Test but has made 71 appearances in one-day and Twenty20 internationals, although his England days appeared to be over when he was sent home early from the one-day series in India and New Zealand in early 2013. The 26-year-old has impressed with the manner in which he has responded to that setback, but the possibility of Foster being called in from the cold will be seen as a much more romantic alternative. |
| The 34-year-old has long been seen as Chris Read’s rival as the best pure wicketkeeper on the county circuit, offering further evidence with a brilliant performance in Essex’s Division Two game against Worcestershire last week. | The 34-year-old has long been seen as Chris Read’s rival as the best pure wicketkeeper on the county circuit, offering further evidence with a brilliant performance in Essex’s Division Two game against Worcestershire last week. |
| He is also a more than handy batsman, having scored more than 11,000 first-class runs at an average of over 35 with 19 centuries, so it remains something of a mystery that he has not been seriously considered since the early years of the millennium, when he had been fast-tracked into the Test team for the tour of India in 2001 at the age of 21 with limited county experience. | He is also a more than handy batsman, having scored more than 11,000 first-class runs at an average of over 35 with 19 centuries, so it remains something of a mystery that he has not been seriously considered since the early years of the millennium, when he had been fast-tracked into the Test team for the tour of India in 2001 at the age of 21 with limited county experience. |
| The emergence of Prior as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the same mould as Adam Gilchrist has been the biggest single reason, but now his injury problems could hand Foster a dream recall. Essex play Surrey in the next round of Championship matches, and Somerset are at Warwickshire, where Kieswetter will go head to head with Tim Ambrose, another who has played for England in the past. | The emergence of Prior as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the same mould as Adam Gilchrist has been the biggest single reason, but now his injury problems could hand Foster a dream recall. Essex play Surrey in the next round of Championship matches, and Somerset are at Warwickshire, where Kieswetter will go head to head with Tim Ambrose, another who has played for England in the past. |
| Robinson also believes that Ben Brown, the 25-year-old who has succeeded Prior as Sussex’s regular ‘keeper, is worthy of consideration, after confirming his batting ability with a big century against Durham earlier this month. He will have the chance to impress the England selector Angus Fraser against Middlesex, with that game starting on Monday at Merchant Taylors in Northwood. | Robinson also believes that Ben Brown, the 25-year-old who has succeeded Prior as Sussex’s regular ‘keeper, is worthy of consideration, after confirming his batting ability with a big century against Durham earlier this month. He will have the chance to impress the England selector Angus Fraser against Middlesex, with that game starting on Monday at Merchant Taylors in Northwood. |
| There is better news for England of the other two players aiming to prove their fitness for the first Test team of the summer. Stuart Broad will make his first appearance since the World T20 for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Sunday, provided he suffered no reaction to a last net session on Friday afternoon. | There is better news for England of the other two players aiming to prove their fitness for the first Test team of the summer. Stuart Broad will make his first appearance since the World T20 for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Sunday, provided he suffered no reaction to a last net session on Friday afternoon. |
| That will almost certainly bring him into direct opposition with Ben Stokes, the Durham all-rounder who is also ready to return after breaking his hand during the World T20 preparations in the West Indies. | That will almost certainly bring him into direct opposition with Ben Stokes, the Durham all-rounder who is also ready to return after breaking his hand during the World T20 preparations in the West Indies. |
| “He’s managed to squeeze six games into the last seven days, and he’s looking good,” said the Durham coach Jon Lewis. “He’s made contributions with the bat in each game, and he’s been building his bowling up slowly.” | “He’s managed to squeeze six games into the last seven days, and he’s looking good,” said the Durham coach Jon Lewis. “He’s made contributions with the bat in each game, and he’s been building his bowling up slowly.” |
| Stokes’s return will be timely for Durham, whose injury problems worsened in their defeat by Somerset in Taunton. Jamie Harrison is the latest seamer who is doubtful, although Lewis hopes that Scott Borthwick may be cleared to play as a specialist batsman despite a broken finger, and there is some reassuring news on Graham Onions. | Stokes’s return will be timely for Durham, whose injury problems worsened in their defeat by Somerset in Taunton. Jamie Harrison is the latest seamer who is doubtful, although Lewis hopes that Scott Borthwick may be cleared to play as a specialist batsman despite a broken finger, and there is some reassuring news on Graham Onions. |
| He missed the Somerset game after suffering a back problem during the previous draw at Sussex, but there is no sign of a recurrence of the stress fracture he suffered in 2010 when playing for England, and Lewis hopes that he will return soon – although probably not at Trent Bridge. | He missed the Somerset game after suffering a back problem during the previous draw at Sussex, but there is no sign of a recurrence of the stress fracture he suffered in 2010 when playing for England, and Lewis hopes that he will return soon – although probably not at Trent Bridge. |