saneindian Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Matt Prior has stepped down voluntarily from Test cricket for the rest of the summer due to fitness problems but Alastair Cook has given himself three Tests to turn around England’s fortunes. The Telegraph can reveal Prior told his fellow England players in the dressing room at Lord’s after the 95-run defeat to India that he is withdrawing from international cricket due to a combination of injuries and does not want to let the team down by playing when not fit. He is not retiring from cricket but accepts his decision may signal the end of his international career after 79 Tests for England over the course of seven years. “The decision I've made is that I'm unavailable for the rest of this series due to my fitness,†he said. “I'm not retiring or anything like that, I would still love to play for England and I still know what I can offer England, but right now I'm not physically able to be at the level I need to be in order to perform at my level. I'm not doing justice to myself and more importantly the team and that is what matters first and foremost. “I've had a combination of injuries that have had an impact. My Achilles, everyone knows about and is an ongoing problem and my goal was to get it to a manageable place. I tore my quad before the first Test and my right hand has been beaten to a pulp, but the main issue is the Achilles. Now we have the time, I want to be pro-active about how we deal with it so I imagine that I'll have an operation.†If fit Prior knows he would have been picked for the third Test but now his place will go to Jos Buttler, one of the most exciting young cricketers in the country who has performed well with the bat in a struggling Lancashire side this season as well as improved his keeping. “It is a huge decision and not one I've taken lightly obviously. I could have played my last game,†admitted Prior. “I want to go out having won the Ashes again and dancing on the podium, but if this is my last game then it is certainly not the way I envisaged going out. “If that happens and I don't play again, then that was my lot. I'll be disappointed because there are a few things that I wanted to achieve and thought I would, but I can also look back and know I did some pretty good things. “The toughest part of the decision has been the situation we're in. I wanted nothing more than to help us get through it and come out the other side.†Prior dropped six catches this summer of varying difficulty and shipped 36 byes in the Lord’s Test. With the bat he has averaged 25 and been out to the short ball three times but also had one poor umpiring decision at Trent Bridge. “I know what I should catch and what I shouldn't, and the drop on the first morning [of the Lord’s Test] really hurt me because I couldn't move the way I needed to. I saw the edge all the way, but I couldn't move as quick as I needed to, and that is when I knew,†he said. “I gave it everything for the next four days and I actually kept better as the game went on, but I still knew that I wasn't at the level I should be at, so that is when it became clear that I needed to stand down.†http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/10981680/Matt-Prior-steps-down-from-England-duty-for-rest-of-summer-due-to-fitness-problems.html Looks like the end of the road for Prior. Sad way to walk away and the recent failures take nothing away from his stellar role in taking England to those Ashes wins, win in India and the test no 1 ranking.
cowboysfan Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 its just brutal how you can go from a hero to zero in sport so fast,atleast he stepped down which is good for english cricket.
G_B_ Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 probably the end for him... Cant see him come back. Even if Jos Butler fails England will goto down the road of youth.
vvvslaxman Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Trott, Swann, Prior :hmmm: a pattern is developing.
G_B_ Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Its also probably the end of Trott. Ballance at 3 has done a stellar job as had Root. Truth he told Robson, Ballance and Root have been good. Experienced hands Cook and Bell have not.
Lord Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Buttler is a dangerous batsman I hope they mankad him without warning :nervous:
Austin 3:!6 Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Was a fantastic servant of English cricket. Sad to see him go this way.
Old guy Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Buttler is a dangerous batsman I hope they mankad him without warning :nervous: buttler ? who played in ashes ? :hmmm:
nevada Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Dhoni should follow Prior's example. Dhoni skipped a test series in SL one time citing exhaustion - after he played IPL.
Lord Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 buttler ? who played in ashes ? :hmmm: That was Bairstow I think. Buttler is one who was mankaded by Lungans recently :giggle:
vvvslaxman Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 One bad series they all quit :hmmm: They have to learn a lot from subcontinent players lol
velu Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 One bad series they all quit :hmmm: They have to learn a lot from subcontinent players lol johnson manhandled him in ashes
Old guy Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 That was Bairstow I think. Buttler is one who was mankaded by Lungans recently :giggle: but he does not looks like test batsman ...they both do not :cantstop: even out of form prior can be threat but not these guys
asterix Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Read might replace him. Butler is not Test material... Adios Matt... Well played... Team India will miss him... He should've played one more match for a India...
coffee_rules Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Good one Matt. Good that I had Dhoni in my SS! :yay:
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