Tale of two keepers

It is possible that the gauntlet-swapping of Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose will one day attract Hollywood - or, better still, Ealing. Last year the house-mates traded places mid-season. Until the third week of May, Prior, the England A keeper, remained second choice, whereupon Ambrose's plunging batting form saw him dropped for the C&G tie against Lancashire. Prior, who had gone gloveless until the totesport run feast against Leicestershire on May 23, had plucked his other main string merrily, hitting a career-high 201 against Loughborough, while excelling in the field. Coach Peter Moores, a former keeper, does not regard the rivalry as a problem - yet.

"It's difficult to compare them," he says. "Timmy is much more laid-back, phlegmatic. He has a natural rhythm. Matt is intense. Not keeping allows him to explore his game and examine his keeping afresh. I know Rod Marsh, who was impressed with his academy performances as a fielder, is keen for him to do that. He loves fielding. He's a natural, a good diver, which is why we tend to put him where the ball goes, at backward point and midwicket. His batting has improved over the past 12 months and that's more of a priority now. Remember how it was with Alec Stewart? I'm not sure how long they'll both be happy with the situation but as long as they both keep improving we're happy."

Moment of the month Mohammad Akram reprimanded by the ECB for ball-tampering.