Matt Prior has claimed that he is "excited" about the addition of Jonny Bairstow to the England Test side, despite the potential threat to his position within the set-up.
The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is expected to receive his debut for the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's tomorrow, but Prior is confident that the pair can help each other as opposed to competing.
"If he smashes a double hundred and I get nought he'll probably become a rival pretty quickly," said Prior. "He's a teammate, obviously he's a wicketkeeper as well, but there are a number of wicketkeepers around the country and there always has been.
"Whether they're in the team or playing county cricket I know that I have to perform well to keep my place. It's always exciting when a player like Jonny comes through into the squad, he's settled in very well.
"It's nice to form a relationship with another keeper because ultimately he's the only other bloke in the room that knows what it's like to be a keeper."
Prior is likely to drop down to seventh in the batting order with the inclusion of Bairstow.
Danielle Joynson
