Sergeant major Matt Prior puts bark back into England ahead of World Cup

Jeepers keepers: Matt Prior will be a more vocal presence behind the stumps than the talented youngster Steven DaviesPhoto: PA
By Simon Briggs5:55PM GMT 20 Jan 2011

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His berth at the top of the order is only the beginning. Like his mentor Alec Stewart, Prior spends his time in the field chuntering away: a sergeant major behind the stumps. If anyone can keep Englands troops moving through those draining 3-hour sessions on the subcontinent, he can.
Since the Tests, Ive been looking after the fielding unit, Prior said. It will be my role now to manage our intensity and energy levels. Fielding is something this squad takes pride in, and it is up to the keeper to make sure those standards stay where they need to be.
All wicketkeepers talk to their fielders, but few chivvy and chirp as much as Prior. Admittedly, he has turned the volume down a notch since the 2007 Test series against India when his encouragements, exhortations and occasional insults were so audible to television viewers that England called for the stump microphones to be switched off. But you can still see him clapping and cheering away after almost every ball.
The support that Prior offers to Andrew Strauss is also a factor. In one-day cricket, because youre a bit more isolated and it all happens so quickly, its harder for captains to manage the whole lot, Prior explained. If he can say, Right, mate, you make sure the angles are all right for the spinners, it allows him to focus on other things. Its important you have as many leaders as possible to help the captain out.
There is a contrast here with Steven Davies, the latest man to be stripped of Englands non-stick wicketkeeping gloves. According to Steve ! Rhodes, formerly Daviess coach at Worcestershire: Hes a very pleasant lad but fairly quiet. Hes not a leader in the dressing room, but when he goes out in the middle hes fully committed and does his job well.


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