INTERVIEW-Cricket-Prince compares himself to Scholes and Owen

By Richard Sydenham

BIRMINGHAM, England, July 30 (Reuters) - South Africa vice-captain Ashwell Prince could have excelled at soccer instead of cricket given his belief that he has the temperament of Paul Scholes and the pace of Michael Owen.

Prince, 31, who scored centuries in the first two tests against England, will take part in the third test at Edgbaston starting on Wednesday believing his team can claim their first series win in the home of cricket since 1965.

He has made test hundreds against every nation apart from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is ranked just outside the world's top 10, yet remains relatively anonymous off the field.

Prince is a staunch team man whose batting is motivated by the team's cause rather than personal accolades. He seems happy to let his team mates grab the headlines and his quiet lifestyle means he often bypasses the media glare.

"I am a private person and if I am not that well known it's not because I am doing anything to keep it that way," Prince told Reuters in an interview, seemingly taken aback that he was not better known after playing 43 tests with nine centuries.

"I try to stick to a family lifestyle and I'm not one to go out much. I will go out for dinner with my wife and my baby (five-month-old son Joshua). That's the type of life I lead. When I'm home I spend more time with family and friends than nightclubs.

"It's a quiet life and if you would compare it to anybody in football I would probably be like (Manchester United and former England player) Paul Scholes. A lot has been said about how quiet he is but he is a very family-orientated type of guy and I am a similar person."

Prince, a determined left-handed batsman, once considered a career in football.