Matthew Prior (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Matthew James Prior is an English One Day International (ODI) and Test
cricketer
who plays domestic cricket for Sussex
. He is a wicket-keeper
, and his aggressive right-handed batting enables him to open the innings in ODI matches. With an international Test debut score of 126, Prior became the first English wicket-keeper to hit a century in his debut match in early 2007. His glovework, however, was criticised. Despite a successful tour of Sri Lanka
with the bat, Prior's keeping was less successful, and he was dropped from the team for the 2008 tour of New Zealand. He returned for the 2008 series against South Africa, and was retained into 2009, where he became the second fastest England keeper to reach 1,000 Test runs, behind Les Ames
.
, South Africa, and moved to England with his family aged 11. His mother is South African and his father is English. From an early age Prior showed commitment to charitable causes and has never shied away from taking part in matches and events in the name of charity. He is married to Emily, the daughter of former footballer Sammy Nelson
who played for Arsenal F.C.
and Brighton & Hove Albion. The Priors have a son named Jonathan who was born early 2009. Stuart Broad is Jonathan's God father.
for young cricketers three times in his career. He has hit more than 1,000 first class runs over the course of two seasons, in 2003
when he won the County Championship
with Sussex, and 2004
, when his 1,158 runs, including 201 not out
against Loughborough UCCE
, was enough to be top-scorer for Sussex that season. In 2005
he made fewer runs, with 874, but also became Sussex's first choice wicket-keeper again after having shared duties with Tim Ambrose
in the two previous seasons. He has won the County Championship three times (2003, 2006 and 2007) although in 2007 he did not take part as much as before due to his England duties.
in 2004, he was chosen to open with Ian Bell and made 35 before he was dismissed by Edward Rainsford
in a 74-run win.
Prior has been on three tours with the England A team
, in 2003/4, 2004/5 and 2006/07. He was also selected as back-up wicket-keeper to Geraint Jones
. He made 45. Having played in all five ODI's of the series, he was also named in the squad for the tour to India
that followed and played in six ODI's, opening the batting in four of them. Prior remained in the One Day side until he was left out for the ODI squad for the tour to Sri Lanka
, in favour of Phil Mustard (but remained in the Test side). After missing both home and away series against New Zealand, Prior returned to the side following the poor form of replacement Tim Ambrose
for the home series against South Africa. On 26 August 2008 Prior took six catches against South Africa at Trent Bridge only the second Englishman to achieve that feat in an ODI. In that match England bowled South Africa for just 83 their second lowest score against England in a One Day game where Stuart Broad took career best figures of 5–23.
Prior was England's wicket-keeper for the ill-fated Twenty20
Stanford Super Series
in November 2008, but was dropped for the Twenty20
match against the West Indies in early 2009 for Steven Davies
, and for the 2009 World Twenty20 for James Foster
. Despite this, Prior remained an active part of the England 50 over side, and was elevated to number 3 for the home series against the West Indies.
for the keeper's spot for the first Test of the summer at Lord's in 2007 against the West Indies
. He scored a hundred on his debut, taking just 105 deliveries and hitting 16 boundaries after coming in at number 7, and finishing on 126 not out. He became the first England wicket keeper to score a Test hundred on debut and the 17th English batsman to record the feat overall. (Note that although both Paul Gibb
and Billy Griffith scored debut centuries, and although both were wicket-keepers, neither was actually keeping wicket in their debut Test.) The last wicketkeeper to make a half century on debut was Jack Russell
, who scored 94 against Sri Lanka at Lords in 1988.
Prior was one of four centurions in the innings along with Alastair Cook
, Paul Collingwood
and Ian Bell. It was the first time since 1938 that four England players scored hundreds in the same innings of a Test match.
for his behaviour on pitch. Prior was told by Chappell to focus more on keeping than chatting. An incident involving jelly beans tossed on the wicket by the England fielders angered batsman Zaheer Khan
, and got the England players reprimanded by many. Zaheer later took a series of wickets to set up an Indian win. Prior's footwork was poor throughout the series with the gloves, conceding more byes than his predecessor in a third of the time. He also dropped VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar
and several others in critical moments, all of whom went on to make big scores. Ryan Sidebottom suffered heavily from Prior's keeping mistakes with five drops off his bowling.
Poor batting followed for the rest of the summer without scoring a half century. In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, he broke his thumb and England did not bring reserve wicket keeper, so they gave Vikram Solanki
the gloves. After that, he was selected to play in Sri Lanka in the Test series. His poor form followed with a duck but then scored 63 in the second innings. Prior put some critics to rest with this and with his efforts in the second match of the tour at Colombo, when he scored 79, which was the backbone of England's first innings score, and ended the series with the third highest batting average for England, 41.25.
However, Prior's good batting form was overshadowed by his poor wicket-keeping. It was the poor form with the gloves that led to him being dropped for the 2008 tour of New Zealand for Tim Ambrose
, the Warwickshire keeper and former Sussex rival. When the squad was announced on 4 January 2008, Chairman of Selectors David Graveney stated – "Prior performed well with the bat in Sri Lanka and it has been a difficult decision to leave him out of this tour, but the selectors feel that he needs to further improve his wicket-keeping in order to realise his full potential in international cricket. But I'm sure Matt will be back, there's no doubt about that."
in November.
Named in the Test squad for the away series against the West Indies, Prior played in the First, Second and Third tests. However, with his wife due to give birth, Prior returned to England to witness the birth, with Ambrose deputising. Despite Ambrose making a not out 76, Prior returned for the 5th Test after returning to the Caribbean. Following the return, Prior made his highest Test score (131 not out) in the final Test Match in Trinidad
, and celebrated his century by mimicking rocking a baby with his bat to celebrate becoming a father. However, once again his glovework was questionable, as in the same match he broke the world record for byes conceded. Nevertheless, he was declared Man of the Match. He remained in the side for the return tour of England by the West Indies and reached 1,000 Test runs with 42 in the first innings of the First Test – the second-fastest England wicketkeeper to this mark, behind Les Ames
. He retained his place in the Test side for the 2009 Ashes, despite James Foster
's apparently superior facility behind the sticks, as displayed to much acclaim during the World Twenty20. Prior had done well with the bat for Sussex in the County Championship, averaging over fifty, but had not kept wicket due to a hand injury sustained against the West Indies.
victory Prior was bowled for 8 in the first innings as England subsided from 302 for 3 (Andrew Strauss
161) to 425 all out, but contributed a 42-ball 61 in the second innings as England sought quick runs; his partnership with Paul Collingwood
added 86 runs in twelve overs. At Edgbaston
he scored 41 in England's only innings in a drawn match, and held three catches in each of Australia's innings. Despite suffering from back spasms before the start of the first day, raising doubts as to his fitness to play, Prior offered a lone hand in the first innings at Headingley, scoring 37 not out as England subsided to 102 all out against Australia's seam attack; Prior aside, only Alastair Cook
(30) reached double figures. He added a 29-ball 22 in the second innings, sharing a century partnership with Stuart Broad
, but could not avert an innings defeat. At the Oval
Prior scored only 18 and 4, but produced a sharp stumping on the final day to dismiss Marcus North
as England surged to a 197-run victory in the match and a 2–1 victory in the series, thus regaining the Ashes. Prior's series aggregate of 262 runs was higher than any other England player bar Andrew Strauss
; his runs had been scored at a Gilchrist
-esque strike-rate of 82 per hundred balls.
in Australia. He started the series with a golden duck
, the second victim of Peter Siddle's
hat-trick on the first day of the series. He only managed a top-score of 27 not out in the first three Tests, however he finished strongly in the final two.
In the fourth Test at the MCG
, he held six catches in Australia first innings as they were bowled out for just 98. He followed this up with 85 runs as England won by an innings to take a 2–1 series lead and retain the Ashes with a Test to spare. In the fifth and final Test he scored his first century against Australia from 109 balls, the fastest English Ashes century since Ian Botham's
118 at Old Trafford in 1981. He was the third centurion of England's innings, along with Alastair Cook
and Ian Bell, as England scored 644; their highest total in any Ashes series.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who plays domestic cricket for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. He is a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, and his aggressive right-handed batting enables him to open the innings in ODI matches. With an international Test debut score of 126, Prior became the first English wicket-keeper to hit a century in his debut match in early 2007. His glovework, however, was criticised. Despite a successful tour of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
with the bat, Prior's keeping was less successful, and he was dropped from the team for the 2008 tour of New Zealand. He returned for the 2008 series against South Africa, and was retained into 2009, where he became the second fastest England keeper to reach 1,000 Test runs, behind Les Ames
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, CBE was an outstanding wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, the Wisden of 1991 described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of all time...
.
Early and personal life
Prior was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa, and moved to England with his family aged 11. His mother is South African and his father is English. From an early age Prior showed commitment to charitable causes and has never shied away from taking part in matches and events in the name of charity. He is married to Emily, the daughter of former footballer Sammy Nelson
Sammy Nelson
Samuel "Sammy" Nelson is a Northern Ireland former football player, who joined London club Arsenal on his 17th birthday in 1966....
who played for Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Brighton & Hove Albion. The Priors have a son named Jonathan who was born early 2009. Stuart Broad is Jonathan's God father.
Domestic career
Prior received the NBC Denis Compton AwardNBC Denis Compton Award
The NBC Denis Compton Award is an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 English first-class counties. A player may receive the award more than once.-History:...
for young cricketers three times in his career. He has hit more than 1,000 first class runs over the course of two seasons, in 2003
2003 English cricket season
The 2003 English cricket season was notable for the long overdue first official County Championship of the oldest county club: Sussex.-Honours:*County Championship - Sussex*C&G Trophy - Gloucestershire*National League - Surrey...
when he won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
with Sussex, and 2004
2004 English cricket season
The 2004 English cricket season saw the English cricket team record a 4-0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies. Their one-day form was poor, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. And in the Natwest Challenge,...
, when his 1,158 runs, including 201 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Loughborough UCCE
Loughborough University Centre of Cricketing Excellence
Loughborough MCC University is a cricket coaching centre based at Loughborough University in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England and the name under which the university's cricket team plays.- About :The coaching centre is largely funded by the Marylebone Cricket Club...
, was enough to be top-scorer for Sussex that season. In 2005
2005 English cricket season
Before the beginning of the 2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by...
he made fewer runs, with 874, but also became Sussex's first choice wicket-keeper again after having shared duties with Tim Ambrose
Tim Ambrose
Timothy Raymond Ambrose is an Australian born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He commenced his domestic career with Sussex in 2000, although he now plays for Warwickshire...
in the two previous seasons. He has won the County Championship three times (2003, 2006 and 2007) although in 2007 he did not take part as much as before due to his England duties.
ODI career
Prior made his One Day International debut in England's One day series of ZimbabweZimbabwean cricket team
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket...
in 2004, he was chosen to open with Ian Bell and made 35 before he was dismissed by Edward Rainsford
Edward Rainsford
Edward Charles "Ed" Rainsford is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played 39 s and two s for Zimbabwe.-Domestic career:Rainsford played two matches for the Gloucestershire Second XI in the Second XI Championship in 2008, taking five wickets at an average of 35.20, with a best of 3/56.-International...
in a 74-run win.
Prior has been on three tours with the England A team
England A cricket team
The England Lions cricket team is a cricket team representing England and Wales. It is the "second-tier" of international English cricket below the full England cricket team, and is largely intended as a way for promising young cricketers to gain experience of playing international cricket...
, in 2003/4, 2004/5 and 2006/07. He was also selected as back-up wicket-keeper to Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
. He made 45. Having played in all five ODI's of the series, he was also named in the squad for the tour to India
English cricket team in India in 2005-06
The English cricket team toured India during February, March and April 2006. The English cricket team was aspiring to maintain the form that took them to second place in the ICC Test Championship before their disastrous spell against Pakistan, and which helped win the 2005 Ashes series at home to...
that followed and played in six ODI's, opening the batting in four of them. Prior remained in the One Day side until he was left out for the ODI squad for the tour to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, in favour of Phil Mustard (but remained in the Test side). After missing both home and away series against New Zealand, Prior returned to the side following the poor form of replacement Tim Ambrose
Tim Ambrose
Timothy Raymond Ambrose is an Australian born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He commenced his domestic career with Sussex in 2000, although he now plays for Warwickshire...
for the home series against South Africa. On 26 August 2008 Prior took six catches against South Africa at Trent Bridge only the second Englishman to achieve that feat in an ODI. In that match England bowled South Africa for just 83 their second lowest score against England in a One Day game where Stuart Broad took career best figures of 5–23.
Prior was England's wicket-keeper for the ill-fated Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
Stanford Super Series
Stanford Super Series
The Stanford Super Series were a series of Twenty20 cricket matches, sponsored by Sir Allen Stanford. The main game of the Series matched the English national cricket team against an all-star team from the Caribbean, called the Stanford Superstars....
in November 2008, but was dropped for the Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
match against the West Indies in early 2009 for Steven Davies
Steven Davies
Steven Michael Davies is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper-batsman who currently plays for Surrey. A stylish and aggressive left-handed batsman who can open the batting in both first-class and limited-overs cricket...
, and for the 2009 World Twenty20 for James Foster
James Foster
James Foster may refer to:*James Foster *James Foster , English mason and architect in Bristol*James Foster , English cricketer...
. Despite this, Prior remained an active part of the England 50 over side, and was elevated to number 3 for the home series against the West Indies.
Debut century
Matt Prior was chosen ahead of Paul NixonPaul Nixon
Paul Andrew Nixon is an English cricket player who has played for Leicestershire, England, England A, MCC and Kent. He is a wicket-keeper and left-handed batsman...
for the keeper's spot for the first Test of the summer at Lord's in 2007 against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team in England in 2007
The West Indian cricket team toured England from 12 May to 7 July 2007 as part of the 2007 English cricket season. The tour included four Tests, two Twenty20 international matches and three One Day Internationals...
. He scored a hundred on his debut, taking just 105 deliveries and hitting 16 boundaries after coming in at number 7, and finishing on 126 not out. He became the first England wicket keeper to score a Test hundred on debut and the 17th English batsman to record the feat overall. (Note that although both Paul Gibb
Paul Gibb
Paul Gibb was an English cricketer, who played in eight Tests for England from 1938 to 1946. He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Yorkshire, mostly as a batsman but occasionally also keeping wicket.Gibb was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, and played first-class...
and Billy Griffith scored debut centuries, and although both were wicket-keepers, neither was actually keeping wicket in their debut Test.) The last wicketkeeper to make a half century on debut was Jack Russell
Jack Russell (cricketer and artist)
Robert Charles "Jack" Russell MBE is a retired English international cricketer, now known for his abilities as an artist, as a cricket wicketkeeping coach and football goalkeeping coach.-Biography:...
, who scored 94 against Sri Lanka at Lords in 1988.
Prior was one of four centurions in the innings along with Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
, Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
and Ian Bell. It was the first time since 1938 that four England players scored hundreds in the same innings of a Test match.
Wicketkeeping issues
During the 2007 Indian tour of England, Prior was heavily criticised by many former players including Ian ChappellIan Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
for his behaviour on pitch. Prior was told by Chappell to focus more on keeping than chatting. An incident involving jelly beans tossed on the wicket by the England fielders angered batsman Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan is an Indian cricketer who has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000. A left arm fast bowler considered as the best of the Indian fast bowling attack, Zaheer is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways, and as a batsman also holds the record for the highest Test...
, and got the England players reprimanded by many. Zaheer later took a series of wickets to set up an Indian win. Prior's footwork was poor throughout the series with the gloves, conceding more byes than his predecessor in a third of the time. He also dropped VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
and several others in critical moments, all of whom went on to make big scores. Ryan Sidebottom suffered heavily from Prior's keeping mistakes with five drops off his bowling.
Poor batting followed for the rest of the summer without scoring a half century. In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, he broke his thumb and England did not bring reserve wicket keeper, so they gave Vikram Solanki
Vikram Solanki
Vikram Singh Solanki is an Indian-born English cricketer, who plays county cricket for Worcestershire. In 2007, he became the 24th Worcestershire batsman to pass 10,000 career runs for the county. He also captained Worcestershire from 2005 to 2010, before resigning mid-season...
the gloves. After that, he was selected to play in Sri Lanka in the Test series. His poor form followed with a duck but then scored 63 in the second innings. Prior put some critics to rest with this and with his efforts in the second match of the tour at Colombo, when he scored 79, which was the backbone of England's first innings score, and ended the series with the third highest batting average for England, 41.25.
However, Prior's good batting form was overshadowed by his poor wicket-keeping. It was the poor form with the gloves that led to him being dropped for the 2008 tour of New Zealand for Tim Ambrose
Tim Ambrose
Timothy Raymond Ambrose is an Australian born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He commenced his domestic career with Sussex in 2000, although he now plays for Warwickshire...
, the Warwickshire keeper and former Sussex rival. When the squad was announced on 4 January 2008, Chairman of Selectors David Graveney stated – "Prior performed well with the bat in Sri Lanka and it has been a difficult decision to leave him out of this tour, but the selectors feel that he needs to further improve his wicket-keeping in order to realise his full potential in international cricket. But I'm sure Matt will be back, there's no doubt about that."
Return
Prior returned to the international scene firstly in the One Day International series against South Africa, after missing home and away series against New Zealand. After showing improved glovework, and the failure of Ambrose to hold down a position in the side, Prior firstly returned to the One Day International side for their 4–0 series victory against South Africa in the summer of 2008. Due to this good form, Prior also returned to the Test side for the India tour later in 2008 (following the Stanford Super SeriesStanford Super Series
The Stanford Super Series were a series of Twenty20 cricket matches, sponsored by Sir Allen Stanford. The main game of the Series matched the English national cricket team against an all-star team from the Caribbean, called the Stanford Superstars....
in November.
Named in the Test squad for the away series against the West Indies, Prior played in the First, Second and Third tests. However, with his wife due to give birth, Prior returned to England to witness the birth, with Ambrose deputising. Despite Ambrose making a not out 76, Prior returned for the 5th Test after returning to the Caribbean. Following the return, Prior made his highest Test score (131 not out) in the final Test Match in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, and celebrated his century by mimicking rocking a baby with his bat to celebrate becoming a father. However, once again his glovework was questionable, as in the same match he broke the world record for byes conceded. Nevertheless, he was declared Man of the Match. He remained in the side for the return tour of England by the West Indies and reached 1,000 Test runs with 42 in the first innings of the First Test – the second-fastest England wicketkeeper to this mark, behind Les Ames
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, CBE was an outstanding wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, the Wisden of 1991 described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of all time...
. He retained his place in the Test side for the 2009 Ashes, despite James Foster
James Foster
James Foster may refer to:*James Foster *James Foster , English mason and architect in Bristol*James Foster , English cricketer...
's apparently superior facility behind the sticks, as displayed to much acclaim during the World Twenty20. Prior had done well with the bat for Sussex in the County Championship, averaging over fifty, but had not kept wicket due to a hand injury sustained against the West Indies.
2009 Ashes
Batting at number six, Prior continued his good form with the bat into the Ashes series, scoring a 62-ball 56 in the first innings at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff as England's middle- and lower-order boosted England to 435 all out, and 14 in the second innings as England held on for an improbable draw. In the Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
victory Prior was bowled for 8 in the first innings as England subsided from 302 for 3 (Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
161) to 425 all out, but contributed a 42-ball 61 in the second innings as England sought quick runs; his partnership with Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
added 86 runs in twelve overs. At Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
he scored 41 in England's only innings in a drawn match, and held three catches in each of Australia's innings. Despite suffering from back spasms before the start of the first day, raising doubts as to his fitness to play, Prior offered a lone hand in the first innings at Headingley, scoring 37 not out as England subsided to 102 all out against Australia's seam attack; Prior aside, only Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
(30) reached double figures. He added a 29-ball 22 in the second innings, sharing a century partnership with Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad
Stuart Christopher John Broad is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for England and is currently the captain of their Twenty20 team...
, but could not avert an innings defeat. At the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
Prior scored only 18 and 4, but produced a sharp stumping on the final day to dismiss Marcus North
Marcus North
Marcus James North is an Australian cricketer, who scored centuries on both his Test and Ashes debuts. He has also played for the Australian Cricket Academy, Western Australia, Australia A, Durham, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Hampshire.He is a left-handed batsman and right arm...
as England surged to a 197-run victory in the match and a 2–1 victory in the series, thus regaining the Ashes. Prior's series aggregate of 262 runs was higher than any other England player bar Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
; his runs had been scored at a Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
-esque strike-rate of 82 per hundred balls.
2010–11 Ashes
Prior was ever-present in the Test side in England's successful 2010–11 Ashes Series2010–11 Ashes series
The 2010–11 Ashes series was played in Australia as part of the England cricket team's tour of Australia during the 2010–11 cricket season. Five Tests were played from 25 November 2010 to 7 January 2011...
in Australia. He started the series with a golden duck
Golden duck
A Golden duck may refer to:* A cricket 'golden' duck in which a batsman is out for nought on the first ball he faces* Złota kaczka, Polish for Golden duck, a legendary creature from Warsaw's urban legends...
, the second victim of Peter Siddle's
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle is an Australian Test cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Victoria and the Australia national cricket team.-Early life and career:...
hat-trick on the first day of the series. He only managed a top-score of 27 not out in the first three Tests, however he finished strongly in the final two.
In the fourth Test at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, he held six catches in Australia first innings as they were bowled out for just 98. He followed this up with 85 runs as England won by an innings to take a 2–1 series lead and retain the Ashes with a Test to spare. In the fifth and final Test he scored his first century against Australia from 109 balls, the fastest English Ashes century since Ian Botham's
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
118 at Old Trafford in 1981. He was the third centurion of England's innings, along with Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
and Ian Bell, as England scored 644; their highest total in any Ashes series.
Test centuries
| Matt Prior's Test centuries | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs | Match | Against | Location | Venue | Year | |
| [1] | 126* | 1 | London, England | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
2007 | |
| [2] | 131* | 16 | Port of Spain Port of Spain Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population... , Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |
Queens Park Oval | 2009 | |
| [3] | 102* | 32 | Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... , England |
Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of... |
2010 | |
| [4] | 118 | 40 | Sydney, Australia | Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian... |
2011 | |
| [5] | 126 | 42 | London, England | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
2011 | |
| [6] | 103* | 44 | London, England | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
2011 |
External links
- Player Profile: Matthew Prior from CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- Player Profile: Matthew Prior from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...