Johannesburg, Aug 22 : England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has dismissed suggestions that his international career is over and has targeted April's series in the West Indies for his return from a long-standing Achilles problem.

Prior will undergo surgery next month on the injury, which has dogged him for two years, and flared up in the home series against India, forcing him to step aside after England lost the second Test last month.

Many were quick to write off the right-hander because of the success of his replacement Jos Buttler, who scored 200 in three innings as England won the remaining Tests to claim the series 3-1, Sport24 reported.

Prior said that he is only 32 and everyone talks about me like that's it, it's the end, and added that people seem to forget very quickly what one has given in the past, and that actually add something to the team at one point.

But, the wicketkeeper batsman said that is the nature of the beast, that's sport, it moves on very quickly and he accepts that.

Prior said that he is hoping by January to be as physically fit as he has ever been, and then it's a case of getting some cricket under his belt and getting to the levels he expects of himself and proving to the selectors that he is playing good cricket.

England play three Tests in Antigua, Grenada and Barbados in April after a one-day programme, which concludes with the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at the start of next year, the report added. (ANI)