Matt Prior is the fulcrum of the England dressing room today, and the protector of their spirit. But things weren’t always this way
Sam Pilger14-May-2013IN THE AUTUMN of 2008 I interviewed Shane Warne in the basement of a London restaurant as he devoured two bowls of French fries with huge dollops of tomato ketchup. He was 18 months into his retirement and clearly enjoying his new life away from the rigours of international cricket.A fascinating character, Warne wants to be liked, and always wants to interest and surprise you. Ahead of the following summer’s Ashes series I asked him for his thoughts on the current England side.He made polite noises about several England players until I asked about their relatively new wicketkeeper, Matt Prior.He laughed at first. “Matt Prior is no good, I don’t rate him at all. If I was bowling with Prior behind the stumps, I would think, ‘Oh no.’ I would think, ‘Hit it to a fielder, please.’ England are obviously prepared for him to drop a few catches.”Matt Prior? He couldn’t catch a cold mate,” he sneered before letting out a knowing and bellowing laugh.Less than five years later and ahead of another Ashes series this summer, Australians no longer laugh at Matt Prior.They remember the Ashes series of 2009, when his glove work helped England regain the urn, and they wince even more when they recall the pivotal role he played in the Ashes of 2010-11 as England humiliated Australia 3-1, culminating in an innings victory in the final Test at the SCG, when Prior scored the fastest Ashes century by an Englishman since Ian Botham’s knock at Old Trafford in 1981.Matt Prior has become the world’s best wicketkeeper-batsman, and this year his team-mate Graeme Swann has even ventured: “He’s the best player in the world at the minute.”But Prior has evolved into so much more than just a wicketkeeper and batsman, to be judged simply by catches, stumpings and runs.He is now the heartbeat of this England side, influencing every part of it and performing a long list of roles. He is the team’s moral compass, the protector of their spirit, a dressing-room confidante, and a tactician and cheerleader in the middle.The public face of this England side is their well-spoken captain Alastair Cook, but behind him the more rugged and blunt Prior is the man who makes them tick and gives them their purpose.”Matt Prior is the fulcrum around which the fielding unit works,” says his former captain Andrew Strauss, while his former England and Sussex coach Peter Moores says, “From behind the stumps he is the driver of the team… England are lucky to have him.”In March this year during the New Zealand tour Prior was officially appointed England’s vice-captain in preference to Stuart Broad. Some players need to grow into these roles, but Prior had earned it, having effectively already been doing it for several years.”I honestly think being vice-captain is just a title to me, even though it is one I am extremely honoured to have,” he says. “I have been given it because of what I do, so I see no need to change. I have always seen my role, the role of a wicketkeeper, as providing the energy of the team – it’s like being the drummer of the band. From an early age Peter Moores always stressed that to me.”I enjoy the responsibility of being a leader,” he adds. “You have to help the team’s intensity on the field, getting everyone buzzing, our body language right, and helping bowlers with their angles. The wicketkeeper has the best seat in the house to do that, so the captain can focus on other things.”After seven months with Cook in charge, Prior believes they now complement each other very well. “A captain doesn’t want people just agreeing with him, and I am definitely not a ‘yes’ man. We have exactly the same ideas about how we want the team to play, but extremely different views on how to get there.
“I am always looking for something that is going to give me that tiny edge. In the last series in New Zealand I worked on how I stand up to the wicket, and I got that edge from McCullum. It was a 1% difference, but it helped me catch it”
“He is far more reflective, and will sit back and think about things, while I am more instinctive and think, ‘Come on, let’s get up and get it done.’ Hopefully I can help Alastair with that, and give him more energy, but then he can be good for me too.”Prior provides a constant soundtrack to England’s days in the field; talking, talking, always talking, he is fully charged, shouting encouragement, or admonishing team-mates, advising Cook on field placings, bowling changes and whether to review decisions. His friend Robin Martin-Jenkins has said, “If you want a keeper to make noise, Prior’s your man… his vocal chords get plenty of exercise.””Sometimes that can get me in trouble,” says Prior. “I have always been an extrovert. I don’t like being quiet. I am honest and would rather say something than let it go. You have to both tell off your team-mates and spur them on.”ON A BRIGHT April morning I meet Prior in the London offices of the publishers of his autobiography. He is renowned for taking care with his appearance, his team-mates laugh at how anal he can be about the curve of a cap’s peak. This morning is no different, as he arrives looking dapper in a pair of tight blue trousers, a crisp white shirt opened by two buttons, and a grey blazer.He also has a thick beard. This has become more than just because he likes the look; it is both a good-luck charm and a part of his armour now. It was once said you knew how hard George Best had been drinking by the length of his beard, but with Prior it is the opposite: the thicker it is the better he feels about himself.He first grew a beard before the 2010-11 Ashes and has kept it ever since as he has prospered. He also figures a beard creates a better impression than the stubble and earring he previously sported.”While I have had it I have enjoyed the best cricket of my career, so it’s not going anywhere,” he says. “It’s a part of me, it even has its own Twitter account, so it would be rude to chop it off now.”He is affable and friendly, and very accommodating with our photographer, but there is also a slight wariness to him, and he answers each question in a measured and thoughtful manner.A few years ago by Matt Prior is published by Simon and Schuster in June.
