The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsFormer England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has announced his retirement from all forms of the game after failing to overcome an achilles injury that has kept out of the game for almost a year.
33 year old Prior will go down as one of England’s best wicketkeeper/batsman and averaged over 40 in the test arena and was a major part of three England Ashes victories. The former Sussex keeper won 79 test match caps for England as well as featuring in both the ODI and T20 sides.
Known as batsman who could keep, prior turned himself into a more than competent gloveman and took over 100 dismissals with the gloves. He score a century on debut against the West Indies and was a huge influence on the England dressing room.
Prior said “I was expecting to be fit for the 2015 season. Unfortunately, this has proved impossible, and I have now had to reach this decision.I feel honoured to have played for Sussex and England as many times as I have and shared so many great times with both teams. I also feel privileged to have been involved in an era of such success for English cricket.”
The Sussex player added “I have always tried to play with pride and passion and have a deep belief that the team will always come first. Although I haven’t achieved all the goals I had set out to, I feel immensely proud of what I have done in my career. Sadly it is now time to move on.”
Prior’s England career came to an end in the 2013/14 Ashes series after he was dropped from the side after a poor run of form despite only 12 months earlier being England’s player of the year. He has kept a dignified silence after revelations in Kevin Pietersen’s book that Prior orchestrated the removal of the enigmatic batsman from the side but will now be free to reveal his side of the story as well as continue to build the Pro Cycling team, he started last year.
