Smith can be 'very good' but has 'fundamental issues' - Priorpublished at 10:01 GMT 10 January
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland's Jamie Smith has the potential to be a "very good" Test wicketkeeper but has some "fundamental issues" and a "poor technique", says Matt Prior.
Smith, 25, came under pressure during England's 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, with a costly drop of Travis Head in the second Test in Brisbane, while he played some poor shots with the bat throughout the series.
Prior, who played 79 Tests between 2007 and 2014, was in Australia with TNT Sports for part of the series and has questioned Smith's mentality and his intensity in the field throughout the series.
"He is obviously a supremely talented cricketer and that is one of the most frustrating things with this group of players," said Prior.
"I didn't get the impression at any point in the series that Smith had any front or wanted to get in the battle.
"The mental challenge of being a wicketkeeper is huge but if you drop a chance you tend to internalise. Often wicketkeepers get better with age because you have a process of getting through it and I don't believe Jamie Smith has that yet.
"We're talking about mentality, but technically he is poor. There are fundamental basic issues with how he keeps - his stance when the bowler is running in and he gets wrong-footed a lot. There are simple fixes and he is talented enough to fix it.
"He has the makings of a very good Test wicketkeeper-batter but there are some fundamental issues that could be fixed quite easily with work, effort and training.
"The challenge he has if he's not even keeping for his county Surrey, where does he do the work? If you're not keeping for your county, how do you keep for England? How are you getting selected?"
