Matt Prior retires: Former England wicketkepper announces retirement from all forms of cricket due to injury
Prior made 79 Test appearances for England and retires with over 4,000 international runs to his name
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Your support makes all the difference.Matt Prior has retired from all professional cricket at the age of 33, because of injury.
The ex-England wicketkeeper failed to recover full fitness after undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon at the end of last summer and has called time on his career.
Prior played the last of his 79 Tests against India at Lord's 11 months ago, before announcing then he would need an extended break because of his heel problem.
He had hoped to return for the start of this season, but has reluctantly had to decide instead there will be no comeback.
Prior, a member of three Ashes-winning teams, hit seven Test centuries and was a renowned counter-attacking force in the England team which rose to number one in the International Cricket Council rankings four years ago.
He said: "Today is a very sad day for me, as I am forced to announce my retirement from the game I love.
"I had been hoping and expecting to be fit for the start of the 2015 season.
"Unfortunately, this has proved impossible, and I have now had to reach this decision."
Prior marked his Test debut at Lord's against the West Indies in May 2007 with a maiden century - called up at the start of Peter Moores' first tenure as England coach. He had enjoyed previous success with Moores when Sussex won the county championship for the first time in their history in 2003 and then took the title again three years later.
He added: "I feel honoured to have played for Sussex and England as many times as I have, and shared so many great times with both teams.
"I also feel privileged to have been involved in an era of such success for English cricket."
Prior established a reputation as a pillar of the team ethos so prized under the coach-captain axis of Moores' successor Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss.
"I would like to thank my family, team-mates, coaches and the people behind the scenes that have supported me throughout the years," he said, in Thursday morning's England and Wales Cricket Board press release.
"I have created friendships that will last forever. It would also be remiss of me not to thank the fantastic support I have had from cricket fans both at home and abroad.
"I have always tried to play with pride and passion, and have a deep belief that the team will always come first - a value that will never leave me whatever I go on to do.
"Although I haven't achieved all the goals I had set out to, I feel immensely proud of what I have done in my career.
"Sadly it is now time to move on."
Strauss, in his new guise as the ECB's director of cricket, paid tribute to his former team-mate.
He said: "Matt has had a wonderful career as a wicketkeeper-batsman for both Sussex and England.
"During a period where the Test team won three Ashes series and achieved the world number one ranking, Matt's contribution both on and off the field was immense.
"It is a huge shame that his career has come to an end in this way, although his athletic wicketkeeping and counter-attacking batting will live long in the memories of both his team-mates and England supporters."
Prior made more than 4,000 Test runs, and was responsible for 256 dismissals behind the stumps - second only to Alan Knott among England wicketkeepers and ninth in the all-time list worldwide.
PA
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