England keeper Prior suffers finger injury as west indies follow on

England wicket-keeper Matt Prior was taken to hospital after sustaining a finger injury during the fourth day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Riverside here on Sunday.

Before tea the 27-year-old Sussex player was hit on the tips of his gloves after a delivery from Tim Bresnan bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Prior needed several minutes of on-field treatment before playing on.

However, he did not emerge from the dressing room after tea. An England spokesman told reporters: "Matt Prior has left the ground to have an X-ray on his injured right ring finger." Paul Collingwood, England's best outfielder, donned the gloves as England took the two wickets they needed to bowl the West Indies out for 310.

And he continued to keep wicket after England captain Andrew Strauss enforced the follow-on.

Prior's injury came just days before England play the West Indies at Headingley on Thursday in the first of three one-day internationals.

He was the only specialist gloveman selected in England's one-day squad but, if he is ruled out, former Test wicket-keeper James Foster, in England's squad for next month's World Twenty20, could be called up as a replacement.

England lead the two-Test series 1-0 after a 10-wicket win in last week's series opener at Lord's.

CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, AFP

ENGLAND 1st Innings 
569-6 dec 
(A Cook 160, R Bopara 108, M Prior 63, P Collingwood 60 no)

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 

D. Smith b Anderson			  7
C. Gayle lbw b Anderson			 19
R. Sarwan c Bresnan b Broad		100
L. Simmons c Strauss b Anderson		  8
S. Chanderpaul c Prior b Broad		 23
B. Nash b Anderson			 10
D. Ramdin c Swann b Anderson		 55
J. Taylor lbw b Onions			 10
S. Benn run out				 35
F. Edwards c Strauss b Broad		 11
L. Baker not out			  0

EXTRAS (b2, lb21, w2, nb7)		 32
TOTAL (all out, 84.3 overs)		310

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-18 (Smith), 2-38 (Gayle), 3-68 (Simmons), 4-167 (Chanderpaul), 5-188 (Sarwan),
		 6-205 (Nash), 7-216 (Taylor), 8-286 (Benn), 9-310 (Edwards), 10-310 (Ramdin)
BOWLING: Anderson 26.3-5-87-5 (1w); Broad 16-2-62-3 (7nb); Onions 18-6-52-1 (1w); Bresnan 10-2-35-0; Swann 14-4-51-0.