Australia captain Michael Clarke has said that England need Matt Prior back in the lineup for the fifth Ashes Test match in Sydney.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeper was omitted from the team that lost by eight wickets in Melbourne, with Jonny Bairstow coming in for his 13th Test appearance.
"In my opinion the one player I think England missed last game was Matt Prior and more so for his leadership and experience," Clarke told reporters. "He's a similar personality to Brad Haddin and one of the best things that has happened to our team is having Brad back because of his experience, leadership and toughness.
"That's certainly not having a crack at Jonny Bairstow, he's a wonderful talent and has a huge future for England. But I think when you're not performing as well as you would like as a team, that senior player, that tough-nosed senior player helps the group a lot.
"It's probably not my place to say it, but I would certainly be getting Matty Prior back into my team. I think he has done amazing things to help England get to where they are today. It's tough when your team is not winning and unfortunately the way cricket has always been, players get dropped."
The final Test gets underway on Thursday.
Michael Penkman
