England wicketkeeper Matt Prior remains upbeat about his prospects of shaking off a thigh strain to feature in the first Ashes Test against Australia.
Prior is currently sidelined and undergoing rehab to be ready for the game at the Gabba, which starts on Thursday 21st November.
Signs are good so fingers well and truly crossed.
Matt Prior
But, having sat out the ongoing tour match against an Australia Invitational XI in Sydney, Prior has told the Daily Telegraph that he is making good progress in his recovery.
With Jonny Bairstow readied to step in in Brisbane, Prior revealed: “Rehab on the injury is going well and it’s improving every day.
“I was even allowed to leave the trusty ice machine to hit some balls in the nets today. Signs are good so fingers well and truly crossed.”
England are 7/4 to win the first Test at the Gabba, with the draw 23/10, while Prior can be backed at 33/1 to be his side’s leading batsman in the series.
Meanwhile, Australia all-rounder Shane Watson is confident of overcoming hamstring trouble to play in Brisbane, although he doubts whether he will be able to bowl.
Watson told Fox Sports News Australia: “My bowling depends on how I continue to progress leading into the Test match. At the moment things have progressed well.
“I’ve been very lucky this time that (coach) Darren Lehmann and the medical staff haven’t put a massive amount of pressure on me to get back bowling.
“In a perfect world I will be bowling. We’ll see how it progresses.”
Don’t forget, all of the fantastic markets we have to offer, including In-Play betting, can be accessed on mobile or tablet with bet365 On The Move.
You must log in to post a comment.