Prior 'chomping at the bit' to clean-sweep Oz at Ashes

England vice-captain Matt Prior is reportedly 'chomping at the bit' to return to action for England in the third Ashes series of his career, having helped the team win the previous two, in 2009 and 2011.

Between the end of the second Test against New Zealand on 28 May and Friday when the Ashes squad will gather in Chelmsford before a preparatory four-day match against Essex, Prior has watched his squad from afar this summer, as the only likely Ashes starter not to feature over the past month, the Guardian reports.

With star batsman Kevin Pietersen's late call for the second of the Twenty20 fixtures against New Zealand leaving Prior as the only member of England's likely team for the first Ashes Test against Australia, the report said that it is not surprising that the batsman is bursting to be involved in the national team, beginning with the Trent Bridge game.

Stating that he is aware of the feeling of playing in England-Australia games, Prior said that a player gets motivated quickly in such games, especially the Ashes, as the entire country starts backing him, adding that in each game against Australia, it becomes very necessary for the team to win with flair.

Meanwhile, Prior spoke about the incident of England's Joe Root getting punched by Australian David Warner, for which he was suspended, saying that although the squad does not know the inner details and the politics of what happened in the Australian camp after the attack, he is sure that it will not affect their performance.

According to the 67-Test veteran, a team can be easily distracted from concentrating on their own skills during the Ashes by the many things happening on and off the pitches during, for which it is crucial for them to focus on their warm-up Essex game and make sure that their skills and team ethos are spot on.

Stating that such things are one of the challenges that a player needed to avoid during the Ashes, Prior further said that England would take their revenge against Australia on the field by concentrating on their game and winning the series.