Matthew James Prior (born 26 February 1982) is a South African-born English former cricketer who represented England in Test cricket and played domestic cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club. A wicket-keeper by trade, Prior was known for his aggressive right-handed batting, which at one stage allowed him to be used as an opener in One Day International cricket, although his appearances in the shorter formats remained limited.
| Full name | Matthew James Prior |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 February 1982, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality | English (born in South Africa) |
| Role | Wicket-keeper, right-handed batter |
| International team | England (Test cricket) |
| Domestic team | Sussex County Cricket Club |
| Test debut century | 126 (early 2007) |
| Retirement | June 2015 (all forms of professional cricket) |
| School | Brighton College |
Prior was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a South African mother and an English father, and moved to England with his family at the age of 11. He attended Brighton College, during which time he began his association with Sussex County Cricket Club. In his early years he played his colts cricket at St Matthias CC.
On his Test debut in early 2007, Prior scored 126, becoming the first English wicket-keeper to score a century on his Test debut. While his batting drew praise, his glovework was criticised in the period that followed.
Prior had a successful tour of Sri Lanka with the bat, but his wicket-keeping was less convincing, and he was dropped from the side for the 2008 tour of New Zealand. He returned to the team for the 2008 home series against South Africa and was retained into 2009. During this period he became the second-fastest England wicket-keeper to reach 1,000 Test runs, behind Les Ames.
Prior retired from all forms of professional cricket in June 2015 because of a recurring Achilles tendon injury.
Prior is married to Emily, the daughter of former footballer Sammy Nelson, who played for Arsenal F.C. and Brighton & Hove Albion. The couple has two children.
After his cricketing career, Prior was the co-owner and chief executive of One Pro Cycling. The team raced at the UCI Continental level in 2015 and was promoted to the second-tier UCI Professional Continental level for 2016. The team was disbanded in 2018.
Prior is remembered as one of the leading England wicket-keeper-batters of his era. His debut Test century made him the first English wicket-keeper to achieve the feat on debut, and his rapid accumulation of Test runs placed him among the most prolific English wicket-keepers in the format's history.