How going unnoticed can sometimes be a good thing

England, dare I say it, are playing some electrifying cricket in this series, epitomised in its entirety by the devastating spell of bowling this morning that reduced Australia from last night's untroubled 126-1 to a worrying 263 all out.

That Graham Onions carried out the initial devastation speaks a lot for his sudden progression from county workhorse to international star. He's not just getting wickets, he's prizing out big name players too. Shane Watson lbw; Michael Hussey bowled; Ricky Ponting edged behind; these are not just tail end wickets. The backbone of the tourist's batting order was ripped out by Onions in a spell that perfectly demonstrated the value of hitting a good line and maintaining your accuracy.

The crowd were also treated to a five-wicket haul from swing merchant James Anderson as England's star bowler ensured Australia wouldn't recover from Onions' initial burst. Anderson's ascension to leader of the attack has been a joy to watch over the last year and his performances in the series thus far have confirmed he can work his magic against the very best. He may be a tad fruitless in less swing-condusive conditions but his value to the side is priceless - he is often of more worth than Andrew Flintoff.

Andrew Strauss continued his man-possessed style of batting, scoring runs in abundance as if he is personally responsible for England's fortunes with the bat. And it's just as well; with Kevin Pietersen out of the team, England need a batsman to be reliable nine times out of ten so they can play around him. With Alastair Cook unable to provide that consistency, Ravi Bopara still coming to terms with the spectacle of playing in the Ashes and Ian Bell now a three-time newbie in Test match cricket, Strauss could be the sole anchor with which England build their innings around.

But for all these wonderful things for which we should all be thankful for, amidst all the positive signs coming from England's play and in the middle of the fact that a few more good days and England could be on their way to winning the Ashes, one aspect is drifting along unnoticed.

Anyone seen any high-profile drops or spills from Matt Prior? Witnessed any sky-high figures in the extra's column? Caught sight of any byes racing away to the boundary having been missed by the England keeper? Nope. Not at all. Zilch.

Prior, a dashing batsman but a nerve-inducing wicketkeeper, has done his primary job to a very high standard so far this series. Gone are the mystifying dives across first slip to drop catches. Gone are the ugly fumbles behind the stumps as the ball darts away for bye after bye. Prior has done an efficient job and the best part about it is that no-one has mentioned it. For a wicketkeeper, the best piece of news can often be no news at all, especially a keeper with a chequered past such as Prior.

Before the series, a lot of focus was placed on Prior and the question seemed to be not whether he'll drop someone crucial but when. But the only column inches Prior has occupied thus far are for his brisk and superb batting. His punchy 56 helped gain England the iniative on the first day in Cardiff while his 61 at Lord's was imaginative, resourceful and thoroughly entertaining. Today he even pulled off a tremendous one-handed catch to dismiss Marcus North; he is continuing, day by day, to compound his critics.

I've no doubt jinxed the Sussex man - if at Headingley he drops Ponting who goes on to make a hundred, you can hold me responsible. But if he continues to perform in this vein then he'll face none of the questions over his long term England place that he's had to contend with in his career so far. As far as Prior is concerned, he'll be hoping to stay out of the limelight so long as he's crouched behind the stumps and not wielding the willow in front of them.