da apostaganha： England’s reserve wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, believes he has what it takes to open the batting for his country on a regular basis
da marjack bet： Andrew Miller08-Dec-2005
Prior: ‘I enjoy taking bowlers on and being positive against them’ © Getty Images
England’s reserve wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, believes he has what it takes to open the batting for his country on a regular basis, after cracking 72 from 84 balls in England’s warm-up match against Pakistan A at Bagh-e-Jinnah. His efforts were not enough to prevent England slumping to a one-wicket defeat, but in his first outing since the Test series began, it was enough to drop a subtle reminder to the team management.”I’ll be happy playing in any position for England but if I was opening the batting I would absolutely love it,” he told reporters at the Gadaffi Stadium. “That’s where I enjoy playing the most, especially in one-day cricket. I have done it for Sussex for the last two seasons and I feel I play my most natural game there. The new ball does a bit but if you can get through that bit, it’s okay.”It’s more suited to the way I play,” he added. “I enjoy taking bowlers on and being positive against them. That freedom works for me. The one thing I have got better at over the last few years is trying to eliminate how many risks I now take. I used to take too many when I started in my first season. I was trying to get 200 runs off 100 balls whereas a strike-rate of 90 is also fine.”Prior, 23, has been Geraint Jones’s understudy on this trip, where opportunities for the non-Test players have been hard to come by. But he was philosophical about spending so much time on the sidelines. “I knew I was the No. 2 and that’s what you expect. You work hard and try and give yourself the best chance, but if the guy above you is doing well then there is not a lot you can do. It’s pretty much out of your hands. You just carry on working hard and give it your best when you get the opportunity.”After the defeat in the Test series, Duncan Fletcher admitted that too much time in hotel-rooms had blunted England’s competitive edge. For Prior, the tedium could have been even more debilitating. “It was a little weird actually, finding myself back out in the middle and asking for a guard,” he said of his innings at Bagh-e-Jinnah. “I have managed to stay in some sort of form through the tour , but when you haven’t played in a match for a while, you hope that your natural ability takes over until you get used to the match situation.”I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating but you’re just itching to get out there,” he added. “You do all the training, get motivated, sit in at the team meetings and you’re almost getting wound up for the big day and when it comes, you just sit and watch. But that’s what I expected and there isn’t much you can do about it. When the chance comes, I absolutely love just being out there. Even fielding, just running around was brilliant.”Prior’s potential role in the one-day series is complicated by the new ICC regulations that permit a Supersub to be brought in at any stage of the match. Last summer, Vikram Solanki was the nominated man, although Michael Vaughan’s knee injury might mean he now steps up to the starting XI.”I don’t know where or how I will be involved,” said Prior. “Some people say Supersub, others the top of the order. I don’t really know, it’s out of my hands and when I get the opportunity all I can do is take advantage of it. There was a lot of media speculation last summer about me being the first Supersub but it never materialised. Vikram was used and he did really well so there’s not much you can do about that.”Prior’s style has been likened to an old-fashioned pinch-hitter, a batsman who can be relied upon to take a few risks and smack a brisk 20 or 30. “I don’t see it as an insult because different people perceive it differently,” he said. “It’s just a term to describe someone who plays positively at the top of the order. Some people might call Gilchrist a pinch-hitter. It’s not something I worry about.”
