ENGLAND team director Andy Flower has denied that Matt Prior’s surprise World Cup selection was a panicked choice.

Prior was included at the expense of incumbent Steven Davies yesterday despite having not played a one-day international in almost a year.

Davies had been trusted with the gloves for the past six games and was the only wicketkeeper selected for the current series against Australia.

And while Davies made a 35-ball 42 in Sunday’s opening game in Melbourne, England’s selectors instead opted to recall Prior.

The 28-year-old enjoyed an good Ashes series with bat and gloves and while Flower admitted that helped his cause, it was his ability on the slow sub-continental wickets that swayed their decision to include him.

‘‘We believe that Matt Prior is best suited to the sub-continent conditions and that’s why we’ve picked him,’’ said Flower, who played in four World Cups for Zimbabwe as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

“The circumstances have changed. Matt Prior did very well out here in the Test matches.

“He is a combative, aggressive cricketer. He fits our aggressive fielding unit so those are the reasons why he has been picked for the World Cup.

“It was a tough decision.”

The decision will certainly have come as a shock to Prior after he admitted at the weekend that he did not expect to make the final cut.

Prior also claimed he would like to return to the top of England’s one-day order – a wish he is now set to be granted.

“I’m in the long list of 30, but I’d be very surprised to be in the final 15,” he said.

“I don’t think that I was quite the player I am now when I was doing the (opener’s) job before.

“I certainly wasn’t as versatile.

I have never been one to make excuses about anything but I was never certain where I was batting.”

The Sussex man, who has remained in Australia after the Ashes to play in the domestic Twenty20 for Victoria, joined the squad yesterday in time to take his place for Friday’s match in Hobart.

He is set to partner skipper Andrew Strauss at the top of the order for that game, and lead off the England innings for the first time since the 5-0 series lost in India in November 2008.

“ hope I have learned when to play the big shot or rein it in a little bit,” he added.

“At the moment the England keeper opens the batting – it’s the best place for me in one-day cricket.”

Ashes winner Chris Tremlett and Chris Woakes were the only other members of the current touring squad to be overlooked, meaning England will take a four-man seam attack into the tournament.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who will join the squad in Australia tomorrow, head that list alongside Yorkshire duo Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad.

Three specialist spinners were also included with Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy the first choice duo ahead of James Tredwell.

Flower revealed, however, that Swann is set to be sidelined for up to two weeks with a bruised knee he suffered in the Twenty20 international in Adelaide last week.

The injury is not expected to otherwise effect Swann’s World Cup preparations, although it does dent England’s hopes in the current series with Anderson and Broad already absent.

Anderson has been allowed a rest in England after playing in all five Ashes Tests while Broad will fly out to complete his recovery from a stomach injury.

Flower does not expect Broad to play any part in the Australia series, instead expecting the seamer will return for one of the warm-up matches before their World Cup opener against Holland on February 22.

“Stuart will be arriving out here on the 21st along with James Anderson,” he said.

“We don’t anticipate Broad playing in this series. It would be a surprise if he got up to speed in time to do that.

“It is better for him to be out here to prepare for the World Cup rather than being in the middle of an English winter.”

There were no surprises in the list of batsmen named with Paul Collingwood, who was dropped for Sunday’s match in Melbourne, keeping his place despite his poor recent run of form.

Kevin Pietersen hit 78 in the MCG match to pass 50 for the first time in more than two years and mark his return to the side after he was dropped for the summer series against Pakistan.

England have won their past six one-day series and will go into the tournament as one of the favourites following their significant improvement in the shorter format.

Flower’s side are also World Twenty20 champions and will look to add the 50-over title to their list of recent honours.

“It’s going to be very tough to win the World Cup of course, all nations will be desperate to do so,” Flower said.

“I think our one-day cricket has improved significantly over the past couple of years and I believe we can do well.”

Squad

England’s 15-man ICC World Cup squad:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wkt), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.