Prior belief in England

Matt Prior © Getty Images

Buy this photo

England left for the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa on Sunday, with wicket-keeper Matt Prior expressing his excitement in playing in the tournament.

Prior returns to the country of his birth, alongside Kevin Pietersen, desperate to bring back some silverware after the successful NatWest Series triumph against India.

He sees Twenty20 as a particularly exciting form of the game and is delighted with the way it has now been embraced throughout the world after its inception in English domestic cricket in 2003.

“The way it has taken off is fantastic for cricket,” Prior told ecb.co.uk. “Getting other people involved, people who wouldn't watch a four-day or one-day match will come to watch Twenty20.

“It is getting cricket to a broader spectrum of people, and that is obviously great for the game.”

Twelve countries will be taking part in the inaugural competition, with 27 games played over 12 days, with only Scotland yet to play a Twenty20 international and England having played the most, with six.

Prior has played plenty of Twenty20 Cup cricket for Sussex © Getty Images

Buy this photo

“It's going to be interesting,” Prior added. “Obviously we have played domestically quite a bit of Twenty20 cricket. We have got players in the squad who have played brilliantly and succeeded during the Twenty20 Cup. Having those guys in the squad makes it a very strong squad.

“There's going to be a lot of good competition, but there's no reason why we shouldn't be one of the strongest squads.”

England go into the tournament on the back of seven one-day international matches against India, with opinions split as to whether that is a help or a hindrance, but Prior admitted, “I don't think it makes a difference.

“You can argue that if we didn't go straight in we might be fresher, but with playing we will be in a good rhythm, hopefully.

“There are going to be some new faces coming in anyway, so they will bring in a lot of energy and excitement. And playing a different version of the game is going to be exciting anyway. It's going to be great.”

England have gone for a blend of established international players and Twenty20 specialists in an effort to steal a march on their rivals, but Prior believes any one of the squad could be a matchwinner.

Chris Schofield is one of the new specialists in the squad

“I think Twenty20 is that kind of game when anyone can have their day and put in a match-winning performance,” the 25-year-old said.

He is also concerned about the talent around the rest of the world, saying, “You have got to be wary of some of the fantastic cricketers you are playing against, but on their day anyone can take the game away from you.

“But we just have to concentrate on what we are doing and being positive and being confident that we, both as individuals, and as a team, can take the game away from the opposition.”

On a personal level, Prior likes to keep things simple.

“It is key that you stay calm and stay focused, like you would in any other game,” he said.

“As a 'keeper it is pretty similar, although you are probably standing up to the wicket quite a lot so you are obviously practising a lot of those drills - standing up to the spinners and medium-pacers.

“As a batter you try to hit the ball out of the park as often as possible. You are attacking and have that intent, but at the same time you have to continue doing the basics as they will allow you to play those good shots.

“As has been proven over the years in Twenty20, it is actually good shots that get you the runs, not slogging.

“Although you are looking to be aggressive and have a little pull, you are still looking to do your basics well.”

England wrapped up the NatWest Series with a 4-3 victory over India at Lord's on Saturday and the signs are looking promising for the future of one-day cricket in this country.

“We don't want to get too ahead of ourselves - we have still got a lot of work to do,” Prior said.

“But the way we have played in this series has been fantastic and we are obviously looking to build on that and keep performing consistently.

“We will go to South Africa full of confidence.”