Matt Prior

Might it not also be the chap who averaged 20.38 in first-class games this year, and played 10 innings in the T20 without reaching 50? It's difficult to look at the impact that Cachopa has made on the team as a stroke-playing middle-order batsman without feeling a sense of "yes, that's what we needed all along".

I'm sure that could be resolved if another county were to make him a decent offer, although it would probably be a Second Division county. Still, it would be somewhere away from the high life and temptations of the metropolis, which is what he said he wanted to avoid when he came back to Sussex. I wonder what the pizzahouses in Northampton are like?

Oh dear. Matt Prior on Twitter: <Obvs sad to see the accusations against me this am and I WILL have my right of reply!>

I do hope that Sussex and the ECB will advise him to button it rather than to fan the flames.

Nobody cares, Matt. It's all old news. Just get on with the rehab and answer the accusations not with a tit-for-tat exchange of insults but by showing the world what a good team man/heart and soul of the dressing room you can be in a Sussex shirt next season.

Interesing how much better England played this summer once Prior was "dropped" and also makes me wonder why not one single England player past or present has stepped in and stuck up for Prior ?? Says a lot to me about the man. Do Sussex really want him back? Never done it for Sussex for several seasons now.

Troll alert! Possibly a 'friend' of 'sheffield park' ?

s and f

I think you raise some rather interesting points about Matt Prior's fitness and aspirations that really deserve to be answered before we make decisions about contracts, let alone dipping into reserve funds.

Why didn't the England physios pick up on his problem earlier? or was Prior fully honest with his condition?

I think its entirely reasonable in the framework of central contracts that the original employer (Sussex) should be able to have full confidence in the medical staff employed by ECB to ensure that he's returned in the same condition, as near as possible,  as when he left the Hove shop. It should also follow that the player has a responsibility to both parties to own up to unusual pains and strains - although in all walks of life there's a tendency not to want to admit to something that could halt or hinder one's career.

...surprising that given the seriousness of the injury, Prior could play cricket at all - let alone cycle hundreds
of miles in South Africa during the early part of this year.

Good point, and when it was raised on another board I can remember saying that it might be that cycling pulls on the thigh muscles rather than on achilles, although from a perspective of overall fitness and the need to avoid undue strain the cycling does sound quite risky. I think that a bigger issue than whether he shipped out his bike to join him on tour or rented one locally is whether the physios were aware of how much hard cycling he was doing and whether they advised for or against it.

Will he actually recover from his serious achilles injury? In 8 months time could he be playing for England in the Ashes;or scoring runs for Sussex in the T20; or retired from cricket altogether?

If Sussex are going to pay him even 1/4 of his England earnings we need to know that he is going to be fit from the word go, fit for all competitions in which we want him to play. He has given a lot to Sussex, he has been an inspirational figure, and I'm sure everyone wishes him well - but we shouldn't be thinking of paying out a 6 figure salary to someone who might turn out once or twice, limp around, and then make a tearful returement speech in August.