ITSTL, would say the recent "renaissance" of the two has been equally timed myself TBH. If you'd asked me about 2 weeks ago, I'd have gone for the irrelevant-third. If the most recent memory of Prior was The Oval 2007, there's absolutely no way on Earth I'd prefer him, even over Akmal.
You're kidding, aren't you? UIVMM, Akmal's wicketkeeping was superb in Pakistan in 2005\06, and regressed dramatically in England in 2006. Obviously, it wouldn't count for much if that tour had been a one-off, but it wasn't - it was the start of a slippery-slope.
TBH, I think Prior gets more stick regarding his wicketkeeping last summer than he should. He was awful at The Oval, but really, had he missed that Test with injury, he'd have generally been regarded to have had a pretty decent start to his Test career. In the other 6 Tests he missed the odd chance here and there, but no more than that.
Only my opinion, obviously, but I commented at the time that Geraint had outkept him.
Any particular missed chances you think of during the 2005\06 tour? I seem to recall one missed stumping during the Bell-Pietersen stand at Faisalabad, but nothing else.
His footwork is a big issue where I am concerned. He doesn't look like a keeper for a test XI where I am concerned. That is all I know. He has apparently improved in Sri Lanka but I will wait before I can see him again in English or more bouncier conditions to see if he has improved. He needs massive improvement really. Notice this. That is not what I call a keeper with excellent technique.
His footwork was poor and he didn't look the part in the early Tests of last summer, beyond doubt. That doesn't change the fact, though, that he actually missed relatively little until that fateful Oval game. I prefer to judge a wicketkeeper on deeds rather than looks.
He has been ordinary really. Here is what Derek Pringle had to say:
Tresco was dropped when on about 150 by Naved-ul-Hasan, not to mention got lucky on a plumb leg before prior to scoring in excess of 100. I did miss the first part of his inning so not sure if Akmal dropped him early on.
Sheys, of course, I remember that clearly now, how on Earth did I forget that?
I think I've probably done Akmal a slight disservice by calling it "regulation", but it was in the 52nd over when Tres was on 94. The Guardian's ball-by-ball calls it "an extremely difficult chance", but glad I didn't imagine it:
He has been better, but still managed to arse up a relatively straight-forward stumping off Pieterson's bowling in the last test.
