Monday 6 October 2014 16:27, UK
Matt Prior has declared he will take his time before responding to allegations from Kevin Pietersen that he was "back-stabbing", "horrendous" and "bad for the environment" of the England team.
Ahead of the publication of his autobiography, Pietersen has accused Prior of being a prime culprit in a “bullying culture” in the England dressing room under former director of cricket Andy Flower.
Pietersen, controversially axed by the England and Wales Cricket Board after last winter's Ashes whitewash, insisted Prior and the senior bowlers would intimidate team-mates on and off the field.
But Prior posted a brief and light-hearted response to the allegations on his Twitter account, and vowed that he will have his “right of reply” when the time is right.
The Sussex wicketkeeper, currently recovering from an Achilles injury that curtailed his summer, tweeted: "After this morning, I'm looking forward to reading the full KP book.
"Might bully my kids into getting it for me for Xmas!!"
He added: "Obvs sad to see the accusations against me this am and I WILL have my right of reply! However today is not the day and Twitter is not the place for it!
"Now back to my Achilles rehab and learning to walk again! have a great day everyone."
Pietersen, speaking candidly in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, claims the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann were given “too much power” which led to double-standards in the England squad.
The batsman revealed he remains on good terms with Anderson and Broad, but he still has “serious issues” with Prior and insisted the wicketkeeper was not the team man he is portrayed to be.
The ECB have yet to respond to Pietersen’s claims, although is it believed they have been refused access to advanced copies of his autobiography.
Sky Sports cricket pundit David Fulton believes Sussex will paint a different picture of Prior, and that the spat between him and Pietersen was a result of their powerful personalities.
“Sussex are going to champion Matt Prior as a great team man and a hard task-master who has the best interests of the team at heart,” Fulton told Sky Sports News HQ. “He’s a man that would stand up to Kevin Pietersen, but they’re two very similar characters.
“Prior was instrumental, or certainly played a role in the reintegration of Pietersen back into the England team and they were quite good mates. But obviously when you get two powerful personalities, they haven’t seen eye to eye since then and things have gone from bad to worse.
“Prior is a guy who can be abrasive and punchy, but he is a very good team-orientated guy at heart.”
On the alleged bullying culture in the England camp, Fulton admitted he has spoken to a number of fringe players and younger members of the squad who sensed there was a “clique” among the core, senior stars.
“The picture that’s beginning to emerge is that the senior players and Kevin did not see eye to eye,” Fulton added.
“Some of the fringe players and the younger ones that I’ve spoken to have said Kevin was as good as gold with them. He was supportive and positive, and they did sense there was a clique that did operate among the bowlers, and Matt Prior would have been part of that.
I don’t think Kevin has got any chance of getting back into this dressing room. I think it’s sad, but that horse has well and truly bolted.
“If there were mis-fields or dropped chances then they would feel the wrath a little bit. But I think that’s only to be expected, this is a team that wants to be the best and they are demanding high standards. This is professional sport and you have to be a bit hard-nosed about it and you have to have thick skins.
“That said, I think they did feel there was a clique that operated and there were a senior core group of guys and the lines can get blurred regarding what is bullying and what is driving the team forward.
“We know what Kevin thinks and others will see it very differently. It’s going to rumble on, and it’s great to see that Matt Prior has said he will have his say.
“I was at Sussex during pre-season and he felt he would get criticism whatever he said, so he would rather not speak at this stage.”
But asked if the ongoing row would enhance Pietersen’s claims for an England recall, Fulton is adamant that the controversial batsman has not done enough to warrant a return to international cricket.
“I don’t think Kevin has got any chance of getting back into this dressing room. I think it’s sad, but that horse has well and truly bolted,” he said.
“He’s not going to play for England again, and let’s remind everyone that he didn’t get to 40 with the bat all summer, he was just playing Twenty20 cricket, he’s had a kind of celebrity lifestyle and he didn’t look to me like a guy who was absolutely set on getting back into the England team.
“He’ll make all those noises and he’ll be advised to make all those noises, but he’s not putting in the hard yards on the cricket field to warrant that.
“That said, he’s not had much encouragement from England either.”
