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Prior wants to dominate

Image: Matt Prior: Wants to dominate

Matt Prior has urged England not to rest on their laurels and go on and dominate Test cricket like Australia and West Indies once did.

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Wicketkeeper wants to emulate great sides of the past

Matt Prior has urged England not to rest on their laurels and go on and dominate Test cricket like Australia and West Indies once did. Andrew Strauss' men have enjoyed a remarkable 12-month period, winning the Ashes Down Under for the first time in 24 years before going on to thrash India 4-0 to move to the top of the Test rankings. Sussex wicketkeeper Prior, 29, has played a key part in helping them become the number one Test side in the world, scoring three centuries while batting at number seven or eight in his last eight games. "You had the West Indies team in the 80s and the Aussies in the 90s. It would be great if people spoke about us like that. That would be phenomenal," said Prior. "Building a legacy is something we want to do. That's the next step for us, to make sure that we just don't get there and then drop off.

Nucleus

"I think that we have a very good nucleus of players who want to do that and aren't the type to get complacent. "We will continue pushing as a team and also pushing each other forward and making sure that no one rests sits back. "We want to be a team that stays at the top for as long as possible and that just isn't considered an overnight flutter. "It's one of our big goals and I am sure we will manage to do it." Prior has been England's first-choice gloveman in the Test side for the last three years, but he has fallen in and out of favour with the selectors for the limited-overs side during that time. The South-Africa born keeper won back the gloves in Australia this winter after Craig Kieswetter suffered a slump in form, but the Somerset youngster became first choice again after the World Cup. Kieswetter remains England's first-choice in ODIs, and promising keeper-batsman Jonathan Bairstow has also worked his way in to the 50-over side after a stunning debut in which he smacked 41 off 21 balls to help the team beat India in Cardiff last month. Prior thinks Bairstow, 22, still has a lot to prove at international level, and has warned that he will be working hard this winter to win back a place in the team. "Of course I want to win back that ODI spot," added Prior. "Whenever you see England playing you want to be part of that team and I want to be keeping wicket for whichever team walks out on the pitch. "It's great to see young guys coming in and doing well, but I think it's important not to get too carried away.

Talented

"Johnny Bairstow is obviously a very talented player and he has come in and had a great innings, but there is a long way to go. "I will be pushing hard and hopefully one day they will turn around and give me another go." And Prior hopes a break from competitive action this winter will help him in his bid to win back the one-day gloves. "I've been staying away from cricket," he said. I've not seen much of the games in India. I've just been spending time playing golf and being with my family. "In a round about way, that's the best way I can prepare for the Pakistan series as you need to have some down time."

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