Prior's Test place is safe - Cook

By Simon Austin

Kiewsetter (right) is providing stiff competition for Prior

Alastair Cook says Matt Prior's future in England's Test team is secure, despite the wicketkeeper being left out of their World Twenty20 squad.

Craig Kieswetter, who impressed under Cook's captaincy in Bangladesh, has replaced Prior in the Twenty20 squad.

But Cook told BBC Sport: "Matt Prior has done an amazing job with the gloves over the last 18 months and is firmly number one in the Test side.

"It's going to take a huge amount of effort to knock him out of the team."

Prior admitted it was a "bitter pill" to be dropped from the 15-man squad for the World Twenty20, which is being held in the Caribbean from 30 April.

The 28-year-old said: "I'm not going to pretend that it doesn't hurt. I want to be involved in every form of the game and it will be hard for me to watch somebody else keeping wicket for us when I've worked so hard to improve my own game."

Craig Kieswetter has got a huge future for England Alastair Cook

Johannesburg-born Kieswetter only qualified for England two months ago, but scored a century for England in their third one-day international against Bangladesh last month.

The 22-year-old will form an explosive-looking opening partnership with fellow South African Michael Lumb at the World Twenty20.

Cook said: "Craig was very impressive when he came into the team in Bangladesh.

"That 100 in the final one-dayer after two previous low scores showed how quickly he can adapt his game and perform under pressure. I think he's got a huge future for England."

Cook himself has never been regarded as a Twenty20 specialist but the Essex batsman admits that, like Prior, he was disappointed to be omitted from England's squad.

"I've worked really hard on my Twenty20 game over the last 12 months, scoring hundreds for Essex, and am trying to get better at it," the 25-year-old said.

"My Twenty20 cricket is improving all the time and I need to prove to the selectors that I can keep doing that.

Cook aims to prove Twenty20 form to selectors

"I've got no qualms about not being in the squad, it's their decision and at this precise moment they think they've got better players available.

"But as a professional, it would be wrong of me to think I couldn't do as good a job as the players who have been selected, if not better."

One automatic selection in the squad was Kevin Pietersen, who Cook believes returned back to his best on the Bangladesh tour.

Pietersen had struggled for runs since recovering from an Achilles injury, scoring just 177 runs in four Tests at an average of 25 during the tour of South Africa.

But he arrested this slump with 99 in the first Test against Bangladesh and an unbeaten 74 in the second.

Cook said: "His record in all forms of the game speaks for itself. He had a tricky six months coupled with that injury. It always takes a long time to come back from an injury like that and people probably didn't recognise that.

"He worked seriously hard on his game though and got his just rewards in that last Test match. With players like him, form is temporary and class is permanent."

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