Prior looks to be a messy keeper, but certainly better than when I last saw him keep (back in 2005). That said, I think he's still a long way off being as valuable a player as even Alec Stewart made himself to England (as that is surely in the mould in which the management hopes he will become)

I will wait to see how he bats against the tougher test of India before rating or slating him. He has most definitely played better than I had expected of him.

I agree 100% with that - Prior is no Read with the gloves, but being Read won't get selected again - is anyone else any better?.
He does deserve a run to see what he does keeping to some accurate bowling, better than like it's been sinse 2004.

First Read, then G O Jones, the Read again, then prior had a go in between - then Nixon for the one dayers, lets give him three test series to see if he improves.

Rachael makes a good case for this with her remark remark "iron gloves" about Marsh at the start of HIS career, he turned out OK - didn't he?.

Read should be keeper, but he won't be - time to move on IMO.

__________________
Ern

To be honest I can live with that as long as he holds on to any chances and doesnt miss any stumpings.

I dont care how good he looks as long as he does the job.

__________________
Mark.

Watching the highlights... Prior was positioned so far back to Hoggard, early on, that one ball (might have taken an edge, might have been a chance) landed a yard in front of him: had he been stood up and bagged it the umpire would have had a tough call.

As if seeing the error of his ways... Prior then moved up to the stumps... and shortly thereafter, the aggressive stance was being hailed as the masterstroke that produced the wicket: Bravo chopped on... and Simon Hughes was immediately suggesting that this was a result of the pressure of the wicket-keeper's presence.

Hughes talked of the "claustrophobia" that comes from having company so close to the crease.

Shortly after that (at least on the highlights), Prior was stood up to Hoggard and a ball went through where 2nd slip should have been. Prior was positioned behind the stumps.... and was reaching towards the slips... so stood no chance with the deviation.

Would someone like Taylor have been positioned like that? Or would he have moved across, in line with the ball? I'm not suggesting Taylor would have coped with such a nick... but I think he'd have been better positioned.

Same happened later on: just been on. Strikes me that better positioning in such cases might create a half-chance every 5-10 times this happens... and that being behind the line also creates the possibility of the ball hitting the 'keeper's body and rebounding for a chance - once in a while such positioning is surely going to be the difference between winning and losing a tight Test match!

Sadly, despite standing up to Hoggard, Prior did NOT take the same approach to Sidebottom... retreating to his comfort zone alongside the slips: most disappointing.

I would have thought the captain and the bowler would have the final say where Prior would stand??, he must at least have been in line with the slips - which he would not position.

__________________
Ern

I always thought that the slips took their positions from the keeper (at least I alway do) and that the keeper barring complete stupidity could stand where he liked.

Rachael, when the keepers standing up anything but the finest of nicks are nigh on impossible to take - even if you are Bob Taylor, thats why first slip is so straight.

__________________
Mark.

You could be right p_c, but a captain decides the number of slips, and I think he would advise the keeper if he thought he was in the wrong place to a bowler.

Standing up to a bowler over 75MPH is not really that good, I agree what chance would any keeper have of catching a snick.

Standing up to Bell or Colly is acceptable on a slow track.

__________________
Ern

Its nigh on impossible because you dont know the trajectory of the ball, thats why you can only expect to take very fine nicks.

Thats why standing up is really only a move to put the batsman off.

Your decreasing the chances of getting him caught behind for starters.

__________________
Mark.

Standing up to Bell or Colly on any track would be acceptable IMO! I do admire Prior, for actually trying to behave like a proper 'keeper for once. Shame he only stood up to Hoggard, and only after hindsight as well. Oh well, at least now we have a keeper who (more often than not) scores runs.

__________________
"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
- Ayrton Senna

I mean no dis-respect here, but yet again the deification of Rod Marsh by regular readers here irks me.

Marsh thought read was a comparable bat to Gilchrist or Boucher. Read is aby far the most accomplished keeper, agree, but he is passable with the bat, no more.

Marsh spent most of his time at the academy demanding that thorpe and hussain be dropped and whichever his new flavour of the month was be instated. (Ironically for the anti-fletcher brigade, he used fielding as the crux of his argument!) Thorpe and hussain turned out to be crucial for england in series wins.

Fletcher had pietersen in the side as soon as he qualified, against the wishes of a lot of press commentators who felt his technique was poor, which waylays the gossip posted earlier in the thread. Marsh had no time for collingwood, who now has 5 test centuries to his name.

Fletcher, hussain, thorpe and vaughan. Four very different individuals with strong personalities, all dedicated to a winning england side. All played parts in series wins over NZ, WI, SA, bangladesh, india and pakistan. All valued rod marshes opinion as much as i do.

Says something doesnt it.

Incidentally, i do actually agree with him that prior is no keeper. A disciplined bowling attack will also take his batting technique apart.

Rating englands keeping candidates that i have seen, in order of accomplishment with gloves....

Read. Foster. Pothas. Nixon. Jones. Prior.