Matt Prior has insisted that he is fit enough to keep wicket for England during the second Ashes Test against Australia, which gets underway at Lord's on Thursday morning.
Recent reports had suggested that the Sussex keeper was a doubt for the match because of a troublesome Achilles problem.
However, despite having to pull out of the team's golf day yesterday to manage the injury, the 31-year-old has claimed that he is more than able to take part in the upcoming five-day game.
"I think it was a bigger shock to me than anyone else that I was a doubt for the second Test. But I'm not. I'm completely fit and well," he told reporters. "The Achilles, it's purely a management thing. It feels good at the moment and the reason I didn't play golf is because I didn't want to potentially put it under strain or inflame it or anything else. I'm feeling good.
"Back to back Test matches come into play. Just one full rest day. I would rather have my feet up. We've got a rest after this Test but it's a quick turnaround. We spent a lot of time in the field. It was pretty tense. So a day off my feet was what was needed."
Prior made his Test debut for England back in May 2007 against the West Indies.
