Matt Prior says it is ridiculous' to say his England prospects have improved with the appointment of Peter Moores.

Former Sussex coach Moores was unveiled as the new England supremo at the National Cricket Academy in Loughborough yesterday.

And Moores admits that one of the toughest tasks he faces ahead of the forthcoming Test series against West Indies is selecting England's next wicketkeeper-batsman.

Prior has not played international cricket for a year after making the last of his 12 one-day appearances in India.

He worked under Moores again at the Academy earlier this year and credits the 44-year-old for moving his game forward' during the winter.

But he faces stiff competition to make a breakthrough at international level from the likes of Nottinghamshire's Chris Read, Steven Davies, of Worcestershire, and Paul Nixon, who may well have done enough during the World Cup to extend his England career despite being 36.

Prior said: "Quite a few people have said since Mooresy's appointment that now he is coach I will be playing for England which is ridiculous.

"I don't feel under any more pressure but I would hate for people to think I'm a shoo-in just because he is the coach.

"If I do play I don't want people to feel I'm there just because of him.

"It will be down to hard work and performances. It's about me keeping well and getting runs.

"I feel in great form at the moment and that's what I have to continue doing. It's irrelevant who the coach is. If you are performing you will be in with a chance of playing."

No one knows Prior's game better than Moores.

The pair first worked together when Prior was 12-years-old and attended winter coaching sessions at the old indoor nets in the Gilligan Stand.

Moores fast-tracked him into the first team squad when he was 19 and Prior describes him as his mentor.

He said: "The first time I met him I spent an hour diving around and that was it - I was going to be a wicketkeeper.

"He's been a massive influence on my career - my mentor if you like. I still speak to him regularly and he is one of the reasons why I had such a good winter at the Academy. He really brought my game on."

Prior attended the Academy under Moores' predecessor Rod Marsh but noticed a big change when he went back earlier this year.

"I noticed a massive difference," he said. "Peter is very much hands-on, he likes to take control and he really did that.

"He made it a great place to learn and created an environment you could feel comfortable in. You knew he would move your game forward."

Prior expects exactly the same thing to happen now he is working with the elite level of England players.

"He sets very high standards and challenges and expects people to meet them," he added. "But he's not unrealistic - he would not expect anything that he could not achieve himself.

"He is still very fit. The boys might think that some of the physical demands he asks of them are ridiculous but they won't be because, even at 44, he will still be able to do them himself. He does his work on the rowing machine and runner every day. He is very fit - and that will earn him respect from the players."

"When we came back from the England A tour of Bangladesh in March not one person had a bad word to say for him and they all thought he should be the next England coach. He gets the best out of his players.

Moores worked with both Prior and Davies during the winter and although he was giving little away yesterday, the indications are that England's next wicketkeeper-batsman will be making his Test debut.

He said: "I have got to sit down with my fellow selectors and discuss it but the good thing is that there are some exciting wicketkeepers out there and it's going to be a tough decision as to who we chose.

"The system now means we know a lot about players already. It's gone beyond the stage where you say to a player if you perform today you get picked tomorrow, it is looked at over a longer period of time.

"It's no difficult to any other position. The balance between picking the best England team for the next game and looking to the future is one of the biggest challenges the selectors face."

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