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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2014 17:42:43 GMT
As to the Club paying him a salary meanwhile, that really is a tricky one. I believe he signed a contract with Sussex in April 2014 that runs through until the end of 2015. Unless it contains a clause that voids the arrangement in the event of him losing his England central contract, he is a fully contracted Sussex player next season and he will therefore have to be paid a salary. One would hope there are insurance policies covering injury if he is unable to play. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2014 20:11:47 GMT
Fact is, he hasn't done much for us over the years. Doesn't mean I wouldn't hope he does next year, so how many runs do you think he'll score? He's the sort of guy who rises to a challenge and is at his best when he has something to prove. So if he's fit by April, I'd confidently expect him to start off with a flurry of runs, as he did in 2014. The question will be whether he can sustain his enthusiasm and his run-scoring if it becomes evident that Buttler is there for keeps (if you will pardon the pun) and Prior has to accept that county cricket is the highest level of the game to which he can now realistically aspire. His predecessor in the England team, Geraint Jones, made the adjustment back to county cricket after being dropped and I would hope that Prior can, too. If he doesn't, an opportunity opens up for others, for the one thing we are not short of at the moment is batsmen who have a claim to bat in the top six or seven. If Prior is fit to play, presumably he will also keep wicket (he cannot fight Buttler for the England gloves from first slip) - and if he does, Ben Brown (assuming he signs a new contract) faces a season in the seconds as his claims to a first XI place as a batsman are behind those of Yardy, Machan and RHB, all of whom are likely to be competing for the same spot. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2014 7:47:30 GMT
Matt Prior has retweeted Cook's "time to draw a line under it" interview : < Matt Prior retweeted Activate Management @activatemgt · Oct 11 Well said Alastair Cook - m.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/29582092 … > The 'well said Alastair Cook' was added by the company that manages him, Activate Management, so it looks as though they have advised and persuaded him not to hit back at Pietersen, despite his initial angry promise that he would be doing so. In which case, well done, Matt. It cannot have been easy to decided to say nothing after being so traduced. But it is surely the right course, because the storm around the book's accusations is already and inevitably dying down and for Prior to re-ignite it again would do nobody any good (except perhaps Matt, which is why it is big of him to agree to remain silent). |
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Post by horsham48 on Nov 26, 2014 8:34:33 GMT
Matt on Sky this morning, looks like he has a job for the winter !
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 9, 2014 10:28:28 GMT
With a flurry of postings on Twitter and an ECB-published press release Matt Prior announces the start of his new business venture: Prior launches cycling teamPrior is the Chief Executive of this business, whose website oneprocycling.com/ gives the Countdown to Launch as 64 days. There is quite a large team of riders, a coach, a sports Director about to join and a team manager. Given the scale of this setup it would seem unlikely that he can, or would wish to be, a sleeping partner, and the spring and summer cycling season is long and intensive. All of this suggests that Prior will not be playing cricket again for Sussex. A man who found it difficult to maintain the intensity of his wish to compete at the highest level when handicapped by injury would not be likely to juggle the demands of day to day operation of a new and rigorous business with the grind of performance, training and travelling on the county cricket circuit. It also seems significant that the announcement of this new departure is made by his formwer employers, the ECB, rather than Sussex. Perhaps it is considered inappropriate for the club to comment on the extra-curricular activities of someone who is concluding his contract? Matt Prior has played some excellent games for Sussex and England, and has given many people a lot of pleasure. It was obvious over the last year that cyclong was becoming more than just a hobby for him and now it looks as if he has found the career opening that will carry him on to excel at a new passion. It is probably the right time to say thank you for all the entertainment he has given, and also to heave a big sigh of relief that the club won't be crippled by the expense of his salary. Good luck Matt. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 11:06:02 GMT
All of this suggests that Prior will not be playing cricket again for Sussex. I hope you are wrong about that; it is only two or three weeks since Robinson was saying Prior will be fighting hard next season to get his Test place back. Unless he has bad news from the doctors on his operation, hopefully the scenario here is that Prior has to find another source of income in order to be able to afford to continue to play cricket, given that Sussex will only be able to pay him 20 per cent of the value of the England central contract he has lost - and this venture is intended to provide the financial cushioning that will facilitate a couple more years in the game for him. If he's on the SKy TV team for tomorrow's ODI v Sri Lanka, no doubt he will be asked by Colville about One Pro Cycling and will have the opportunity to clarify his intentions. |
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Post by robertfromhemel on Dec 11, 2014 11:01:15 GMT
Would be very sad if he couldn't play again :
Prior admits: No guarantee I'll play again
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by Steve Hollis
Matt Prior admits he is uncertain whether he will be able to continue his cricket career.
The Sussex wicketkeeper is currently recovering from surgery to cure an Achilles problem which forced him to step down from the England team midway through last summer.
Prior says his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule and hopes to be ready to begin pre-season training in February but says he won’t fully know if his body will stand up to the demands of first class cricket until the season begins in April.
The former Brighton College pupil said: “I am ahead of schedule, which is great news, but nobody really knows for sure exactly when I will be ready to play again. It is easy for a consultant to say I will be able to keep wicket again but they are not fully aware what goes into it.
“You can do all the rehab work but until you spend four days in the field you don’t know how the body will react. What I do know is that I am going to give my body the best chance by working as hard as possible over the winter to get myself fit.
“If I can’t play for England again then I want to contribute at Sussex and help us get back to winning trophies. That is my goal and I am pretty determined to achieve that.
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“But I have had a serious injury and I don’t know if I will ultimately be able to do that. I don’t want to be pessimistic but I am realistic and I probably won’t know for sure until I start playing again.”
Prior was named England’s player of the year just 18 months ago but endured a torrid time during the Ashes in Australia last winter when he was dropped in favour of Jonny Bairstow for the final two Tests.
The 32-year-old regained his place in the England side after proving his fitness with Sussex at the start of last season but broke down again during the summer and played the last of his 79 Tests for England against India at Lord’s in July.
He added: “I have got to stay positive but I have had to think about the possibility of not getting back to where I was. That would be disappointing as I haven’t achieved everything I set out to yet but I’ve also done some pretty cool things like win the Ashes three times.
“Ultimately if I have injured myself due to giving everything I possibly could to the team then I can’t be too upset.”
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 14, 2014 11:06:56 GMT
Matt Prior continues to prepare the ground for life after cricket in the Mail Online today Matt Prior: I've run myself into the ground for the England team ... If I'm finished as a player now, I can live with that"‘Only when I’ve played three or four days back to back, keeping for a lot of overs, will I know. I don’t want to come back half the player I was" He does offer the suggestion of playing as a specialist batsman "The other option is playing only as a batsman, which is going through my mind, too, because I’m pretty certain I can get back to my level just batting. We will see." But overall "I’m so excited with ONE Pro Cycling and I’m cracking on with my rehab. All my energy is going into those things. There’s a lot going on in my life and I want to look forward.’ Interesting that there has been no public comment by Sussex on Matt's cycling venture: disapproval or a diplomatic case of I can't see it (because I have my hands over my eyes) therefore it doesn't exist? |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 17, 2015 9:28:55 GMT
Matt Prior’s interest in cricket continues to wane if his Twitter page is any guide. Since January 28th his 208,000 followers have been subjected to 50 tweets - all about cycling except one that mentions bunny (Graham Onions). And this during the England team warm-ups and first World Cup match against Australia - not a cricketing peep. After England were hammered by Australia on Valentine’s day, Prior tweeted, “Gr8 to see so many out riding in the Sussex
countryside this am. Hopefully you'll be wearing @oneprocycling jerseys soon.”
What does this say about Prior’s interest in cricket? Given his ‘One Pro-Cycling Team’ is being launched officially at 7.30pm tonight in Westminster, London, a team he co-founded, one could excuse Matt for a certain amount of self-publicity leading up to the big day, But even so... www.oneprocycling.com/twitter.com/mattprior13www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/british-racing/matt-prior-looking-build-strong-future-one-pro-cycling-157014#SHctvw95vf1SSdqj.99 |
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Post by flashblade on Feb 17, 2015 9:35:09 GMT
I wouldn't put money on Matt playing much cricket in a professional capacity again. He seems to have found a new career that he feels passionate about, and which will hopefully keep him engrossed and rewarded for a good few years.
Good luck to him, I say. On the subject of retired cricketers, contrast Matt's position with Chris Adams'.
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maxh
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Post by maxh on Feb 17, 2015 10:11:08 GMT
One wonders when a final decision will be made. This is surely his final season anyway, will he really want to push for match fitness and how long will the club want to hang around with this?
Clearly still an excellent player in all formats at county level when fit but if his mind isn't on it and his body is giving up then surely it's best to cut ties with the game. Could be a big season for the club in the CC so he may be looking at one final swansong, though cycling does seem to be the priority right now.
Anyhoo, I'm waffling. Would like to see him really give his all this year.
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 17, 2015 10:30:23 GMT
The decision has already been made and the deal is done.
How do you think the club found the budget to take on the new bowlers? Why did they cap Brown last summer? Why has there been no response of any kind by the club to Prior's press releases and Twitter statements about his cycling ventures? And this could also be why Prior hasn't responded to Pietersen's less than favourable comments in his book: it simply doesn't matter any more now he has moved on.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2015 13:37:22 GMT
Prior insisting in The Guardian today that he wants to win his Test place back... but giving off slightly mixed messages in quotes such as this:
“Realistically the West Indies tour in April is far too soon. I’m still learning how to run. I might not play cricket again but I’m hopeful that’s not the case. I’m looking to get back to full fitness and back to where I was at. The achilles tear was so severe that if I get my return wrong, it could affect not only my cricket career but my life after cricket. I need to get it right.”
He doesn't put any timescale on taking a decision on whether he will be able to "get back to full fitness" andf there must be a very possible scenario in which he spends the season on the Sussex payroll playing very little if any cricket and then announces he is going in September. But he's been a good servant to Sussex cricket over the years and the club would be doing the honourable thing in allowing him time to see if he can "get it right".
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2015 15:58:29 GMT
And another interview in the Telegraph full of more mixed messages.
"I’m still committed to coming back and playing cricket, but I had a massive operation. I don’t think people appreciate quite how bad my injury was.”
Originally targeting the start of the domestic season in April, Prior now admits that he is going to struggle to make that....“I’ve realised that it’s a big enough injury that it could really affect things, not just my cricket career, but life after cricket."
“There is an Ashes series this summer. And to play in an Ashes series is the greatest feeling you can have as a cricketer. And that carrot is there. At 6.30am, and I’m in the gym doing my rehab, that is what gets me out of bed. That carrot. But I have to be realistic about where I’m at. I’m still a long way off.”
He then suggests one motivation to retun to cricket would be that it would raise the profile of his cycling venture: "From the profile side of things, the better I do [in cricket] the better it would be for the team."
No mention of Sussex CCC anywhere, but I'm sure that's not Matt's fault. Amid all the obfuscation, perhaps the most revealing fact in the article is that at the Hotel du Vin in Brighton, where the interview took place , Prior has his own "personalised wine locker" !
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 17, 2015 20:39:01 GMT
Bm, "the most revealing fact in the article is that at the Hotel du Vin in Brighton, where the interview took place , Prior has his own
"personalised wine locker"Brilliant! Does he have a personalised cigar locker too? Perhaps, after the official Westminster launch tonight of his pro-cycling team, he'll be pedalling off to this place.  www.montaguehotel.com/bar-and-dining/the-cigar-terrace |
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