Prior looking for answers

Matt Prior scored a hundred at Lord's on his Test match debut

Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior is considering continuing his career as a specialist batsman, if he can become convinced it will help him regain his place in the England side.

The 26-year-old enters the 2008 season with Sussex behind the stumps, starting with the curtain-raiser against the MCC at Lord's on Thursday.

But with the current county champions well stocked for glovemen - Andrew Hodd was mightily impressive last summer and Ben Brown is an England Under-19 - and Prior dropped from the Test team for his below-par performances behind rather than in front of the stumps, other avenues have been explored.

Discussions with Mark Robinson and Chris Adams, his county coach and captain respectively, have satisfied him to stick to the dual role for now but Prior also intends to canvass the opinion of England coach Peter Moores.

"It's a very interesting one, this, because I've played for England just as a batter before and feel I could do so again," said Prior, who lost his Test place to Tim Ambrose in January after 10 consecutive appearances in 2007.

"The devil in me is thinking why not give it a red-hot go just as a batter.

Prior may give up the gloves to concentrate just on his batting

"I think my first-class average when I haven't kept is about 49, so I've got the stats that say 'yeah, I can play as a batsman'.

"There's an opportunity there to say maybe I do want to give this a real good go and see if potentially I can break in (to the England side) that way.

"I want to speak to Mooresy and find out exactly where I stand and how I might fit in.

"If he says there's no chance of playing for England as a batter, then I will stick to keeping.

"The pre-season trip to Abu Dhabi has given me a lot of time for thinking.

"As of now I will be a batter-keeper and that's what I'll be continuing to do, but absolutely there is that option to switch."

Frustratingly for Prior, arguably his best period with the bat - he became the first England wicketkeeper to hit a hundred on Test debut 11 months ago - came in Sri Lanka before Christmas.

It just happened to coincide with an error-strewn time with the gloves, particularly in the final Test in Galle.

He helped save the Test there, in fact, with an uncharacteristic 19 not out off 100 balls, having performed skilfully with the tail to hit 79 in the previous match at Colombo and with great concentration to get England narrowly short of saving, with 63 in the series opener in Kandy.

"That was the one part of my game I was very excited about because I proved to other people, and to myself, that I can play a different type of innings," Prior said.

Owais Shah hopes to impress on home turf © Getty Images

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"I can compete with the best. Batting against Muttiah Muralitharan to save a Test match for your country - picking him and having good fun in what is supposed to be a very pressurised situation - I loved it."

Sussex are waiting for clearance to play Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris in the first-class fixture.

MCC are led by Middlesex's Ed Joyce, one of four full internationals in the 12-man squad.

Joyce's county colleague Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara, of Essex, are the two most high-profile in a group of players who might use Ryan Sidebottom as a template for their own career paths.

A year ago the Yorkshireman was nowhere near the international side but has been named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year, following a stellar 10 months.

"They clearly want to beat Sussex as part of the MCC side but there are personal agendas there as well," said David Parsons, England's performance director and coach of the MCC XI.

"It is their opportunity to put in some early-season preparation for their county season but over and above that it is a good opportunity for them, in front of the selectors, to state some claim to be the next cab on the rank as and when the opportunity arises.

"The situation we want to get to is where England have got, stacked up behind the main team, guys not just knocking on the door but absolutely hammering it down.

"Who knows how many of these guys over the next six to 12 months will get that opportunity."

One of the successes of the England Lions' campaign this past winter, fast bowler Alan Richardson has been ruled out with an injured left ankle, so Nottinghamshire's Charlie Shreck has been called up.