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Key and Prior given England reprieve in performance squad

21/04/2008

Out-of-favour batsmen Rob Key and Matt Prior have been handed a lifeline to revive their England careers after being named in the latest performance squad.

Kent skipper Key last featured for England on the tour of South Africa in 2004-05, while former wicketkeeper Prior, who is now playing for Sussex as a specialist batsman, was dropped from the international side last year after a series of poor performances.

Three uncapped players have also been named in the England and Wales Cricket Board's 26-man squad, which provides a list of players head coach Peter Moores can withdraw from county cricket at any time during the summer season.

Michael Carberry of Hampshire; Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid; and Key's Kent team-mate James Tredwell have all yet to make their international debuts but are included in the squad.

All 14 centrally-contracted players, including contentious fast bowler Steve Harmison, are included in the list.

The other 12 players are not on central contracts but many are expected to play a part for England this summer, including specialist one-day all-rounders Dimitri Mascarenhas and Ravi Bopara, wicketkeeper-batsman Phil Mustard and young fast bowler Stuart Broad.

Moores can name up to four more players in the squad throughout the summer, and is expected to use his full 30-man quota subject to players' form and fitness for their counties.

Full 26-man England performance squad:
(* - centrally-contracted player)

Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire)
James Anderson* (Lancashire)
Ian Bell* (Warwickshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Michael Carberry (Hampshire)
Paul Collingwood* (Durham)
Alastair Cook* (Essex)
Andrew Flintoff* (Lancashire)
Stephen Harmison* (Durham)
Matthew Hoggard* (Yorkshire)
Robert Key (Kent)
Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire)
Philip Mustard (Durham)
Monty Panesar* (Northamptonshire)
Kevin Pietersen* (Hampshire)
Matthew Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Ryan Sidebottom* (Nottinghamshire)
Andrew Strauss* (Middlesex)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
James Tredwell (Kent)
Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)
Michael Vaughan* (Yorkshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)