England wicketkeeper Matt Prior said Wednesday he expected to play in the third Test against the West Indies here at Edgbaston despite an eye infection. Concerned England officials called Surrey keeper Steven Davies into their squad as cover Wednesday, a day before the final match of a series, where the host has an unbeatable 2-0 lead, was due to start. But Prior subsequently told his Twitter followers: “I expect to be fine to play. The management have got cover in as a precaution on the off chance my vision is affected!” The 30-year-old Sussex wicketkeeper/batsman has been a key figure in England's rise to the top of the world Test rankings and in 54 matches at this level has scored six hundreds, including a debut ton against the West Indies at Lord's in 2007. After some shaky moments behind the stumps early in his international career, Prior has also proved an increasingly reliable keeper. He has been present for England's last 39 Tests since missing a match against the West Indies at Barbados in March 2009 to attend the birth of his son. Earlier, a brief England statement announced Davies' call-up by saying: “Surrey wicketkeeper Steve Davies called into Test squad as cover for Matt Prior who has an eye infection. Davies will be released Thursday if not required.” Davies, 25, has yet to make his Test debut but has played eight One-Day Internationals and five Twenty20 matches for England. He is currently appearing for Surrey in its ongoing County Championship match against Sussex at Horsham and will return to that fixture if England ultimately decides to do without him in Birmingham. England had a second wicketkeeper in its original 12-man squad in Yorkshire's Jonathan Bairstow. But in his two Test appearances, both in this series, Bairstow, the son of former England keeper David, has played as a batsman only. Strauss ‘respects' Pietersen's decision England captain Andrew Strauss said he respected the decision teammate Kevin Pietersen made in controversially opting out of one-day cricket for England. “I truly believe everyone has the right to determine whether they want to play a certain form of the game,” Strauss told reporters at Edgbaston Wednesday. “Kevin has made that decision and we all respect it. He went into it with his eyes open. He knew what the situation was and what the ramifications were, and we're all just looking forward now.” Pietersen will play against West Indies in the third Test Thursday, a week after giving up 20-over and 50-over cricket citing the intensity of the schedule and the physical demands on him.
