Matt Prior took just two days of his fledgling Test career to establish his credentials as England's long-term wicketkeeper by hitting a record-breaking century in the opening npower Test.

Ever since the retirement of Alec Stewart in 2003, England have tried to find a replacement who can score runs consistently at the top level and also keep wicket to the highest of standards.

Both Chris Read and Geraint Jones have been given their chance and failed to take it, but the 25-year-old Sussex keeper needed no second invitation to seize his chance.

Prior hit an unbeaten 126 off only 128 balls, the highest score ever by an England wicketkeeper on debut, to help his side reach a commanding 553 for five against a dispirited West Indies attack when bad light ended play 12 overs prematurely on the second day.

He was the third centurion of the day, with Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell also reaching three figures, and the fourth of the innings following Alastair Cook's opening-day effort - the first time England had achieved such a feat since the 1938 Test against Australia at Trent Bridge.

But for new coach Peter Moores records will not have concerned him as much as the confident ease in which Prior arrived at the crease and dominated an unbroken 190-run stand with Bell, who until his arrival had looked in complete command of the situation.

Prior began his hard-hitting innings shortly before tea on the second day with England already on a commanding 363 for five, but knowing a debut failure would immediately pile the pressure on him with several other candidates waiting in county cricket.

He got off the mark nervously with a lofted shot through mid-wicket off Dwayne Bravo, which on another day could easily have flown to mid-on, but this time rolled to the boundary.

Nerves eased once off the mark, however, and Prior set about the tired tourists' attack and raced to his half-century off only 55 balls with nine boundaries, showing an intent not seen by an England wicketkeeper since Stewart's heyday.

Bell had progressed without alarm to 56 when Prior walked out to the crease and in normal circumstances would have tried to guide the nervous debutant through those shaky early stages.

It quickly became clear that Bell's advice would not be needed for Johannesburg-born Prior, though, who finally drew level with his partner 28 overs later when the pair were just five runs short of their centuries.

Prior's aggressive tactics inevitably led to some loose shots and edges which flew through the slips just wide of fielders, but it was also a style which drew in the capacity Lord's crowd just as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have done in the past.

By the time he reached his century with a cut for his 19th boundary off Chris Gayle, the crowd were firmly behind England's new wicketkeeper and rose to salute his aggressive innings.

Two overs later Bell also reached the landmark in less flamboyant style and was happy to record his seventh Test century with a single, having taken 75 balls more than Prior to get there.

England had resumed the second day on 200 for three, with Essex opener Cook hoping to build on his overnight 102 only to fall in the eighth over of the day after West Indies utilised early swing.

But it was Collingwood who was in the thick of the action during the early stages and was fortunate not to fall three times before lunch.

The Durham all-rounder was given his first reprieve on 31 when he drove fast bowler Jerome Taylor straight to Daren Ganga in the gully, but the regulation chance was missed at the second attempt.

He added only one more run before he was given his second let-off, this time shouldering arms to a Taylor inswinger but umpire Asad Rauf gave him the benefit of the doubt after being hit on the pads.

While Collingwood was struggling at one end, Cook was finding it equally difficult at the other and added only three runs to his overnight 102 before mis-timing an attempted cut off Taylor to find Bravo at point.

There was still time for Collingwood to have another escape, mis-hitting a pull shot off Corey Collymore on 36 which was dropped by Taylor in the deep after totally misjudging the trajectory and getting no more than a hand on the ball before it fell to earth.

There seemed a sense of inevitability as Collingwood gradually rediscovered his touch and timing, and he progressed to his fourth Test century just as the tea interval approached.

With a big innings in his sights, however, Collingwood attempted a tired-looking pull and missed Bravo's inswinger which clipped his off-stump to signal Prior's arrival.

He quickly demonstrated his temperament for the highest level by ignoring a series of short-pitched deliveries and a few choice words from West Indies' bowlers to make his mark.

It was a timely display with Paul Nixon - his closest rival for the wicketkeeping slot following his impressive displays in the World Cup - scoring 85 for Leicestershire against Essex at Grace Road.

But Prior's sense of the occasion allowed him to complete an eye-catching century and ensure he remains the man in possession for the near future at the very least.