Marcus Trescothick
Encyclopedia
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE
(trɛsˈkɒθɪk; born 25 December 1975 in Keynsham
, Somerset
) is an English cricket
er. He plays first-class
cricket
for Somerset County Cricket Club
, and represented England in 76 Test matches
and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established himself as a regular member of the team. Trescothick made his One Day International (ODI) debut seven years later, against Zimbabwe in July 2000. His Test debut, against the West Indies, followed in August. Although former England captain
Nasser Hussain
likened Trescothick's build and batting temperament to that of Graham Gooch
, his stroke play is more reminiscent of David Gower
. As an aggressive opener, he holds the record for the fastest half-century in English Twenty20
cricket. Trescothick is also an accomplished slip fielder
and occasional right-handed medium pace bowler
who has kept wicket
for England in five ODIs, and deputised as England captain for two Test matches and ten ODIs.
Trescothick was an automatic choice for England between 2000 and 2006, before a stress-related illness threatened his career and forced him to pull out of the national squad. He began the process of rebuilding his career with Somerset in 2007, and scored two double-centuries that season. However, he continued to remain uneasy about returning to international cricket, and announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008, opting to continue playing at county level for Somerset. Since then, media speculation has continued as to a possible international return – however, Trescothick has repeatedly voiced his intent to remain in retirement, and has suffered recurrences of his condition in both 2008 and 2009 when Somerset toured abroad.
. He was educated at the Sir Bernard Lovell School
in Oldland Common
near Bristol
, where his exceptional scores for the school were rewarded with a Somerset contract in 1993. He was nickname
d Tresco and Banger, the latter deriving from his diet as a young player:
Trescothick married Hayley Rowse in Trull
, Somerset, on 24 January 2004, and the couple have two daughters, Ellie Louise (born April 2005) and Millie Grace (born January 2008). He lives in Taunton
, and also owns property in Barbados
, near similar properties owned by Michael Vaughan
and Andrew Flintoff
. Trescothick is an honorary vice-president of Bristol City F.C.
, as well as being a keen golf
er. Outside sport, he has been recognised with a Taunton Deane
Citizenship Award, and was granted the Freedom
of his home town, Keynsham.
and eight half-centuries at an impressive batting average
of 48.63. Having played for the English U-19 cricket team
against the West Indies
in 1993, and Sri Lanka
and India
in 1994, Trescothick was named captain for the two Under-19 series against West Indies and South Africa
in 1995. His career aggregate of 1,032 runs for England U-19 is second only to John Crawley
's 1,058.
Trescothick was not as successful in domestic cricket in 1995, although there were still some highlights including an innings of 151 against Northamptonshire
(a third of his season's total), and a hat-trick, including the wicket of century-maker Adam Gilchrist
, for Somerset against Young Australia. Trescothick's England Under-19 form was still excellent, averaging 74.62 with the bat in six matches. His Under-19 team mates would often mock him for wearing an England blazer after his matches; Trescothick would reply by saying that "it might be the closest I get to playing for England".
The following five years were mixed for Trescothick. Averaging about 30 runs per innings
, he was often criticised for a lack of foot movement. David Gower
described Trescothick's technique by saying "he does not need to move a long way but needs to move enough. When he is playing well ... he is very good at transferring weight. When he is not playing well, his feet get stuck". However, Trescothick was awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award
for Somerset's most promising young county player in the 1996 and 1997 seasons. In 1997, Somerset Second XI were set 612 to win by Warwickshire Second XI, and Trescothick scored 322 to bring the Seconds to 605.
In 1999, Trescothick impressed Glamorgan
coach Duncan Fletcher
in a county match
at Taunton, by scoring 167 in a low-scoring match where the next-highest innings was 50. When England opening batsman Nick Knight
sustained a finger injury in 2000, Fletcher, who had been appointed England coach, called on Trescothick to make his England debut in the NatWest Series
against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. Trescothick's regular selection for England meant that he was rarely available for domestic selection between 2000 and 2006, often playing only a few matches for Somerset at the start of the season.
on 9 July 2000, when he scored 79. He continued his good form in the tournament
with a Man of the Match
-winning 87 not out
against the West Indies at Chester-le-street
, amassing 288 runs at an average of 48.00 and taking two wickets against Zimbabwe at Old Trafford.
As a result of his good form in the NatWest series, Trescothick was given his Test match debut later that summer in the third Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford. He displayed a calm temperament when England lost early wickets, scoring 66 and forming a partnership of 179 with Alec Stewart
. Journalist Thrasy Petropoulos observed that there was "poise and durability...just as there had been enterprise and verve to his impressive start in the one-day arena." He ended the Test series with an average of 47.50.
England began the 2000–2001 winter tour with the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy
at Nairobi Gymkhana Club
. Trescothick did not score highly in the tournament, and England were knocked out at the quarter-final stage against South Africa. Trescothick was named the Professional Cricketers' Association
Player of the Year for his performances for Somerset throughout 2000.
Trescothick's maiden international century came against the Sindh
Governor's XI in October 2000, during the first warm-up match to the Pakistan series. Trescothick reached his highest score (71) of the three Test matches in the opening innings of the first Test. He took his sole Test wicket in the third Test, when Ashley Giles
caught the Pakistan opener Imran Nazir
.
Trescothick started the Sri Lanka tour with a century against a Sri Lanka 'Colts XI'. He was the top scorer in both innings of the first Test with 122 and 57, although this was overshadowed by Marvan Atapattu
's 201 not out in Sri Lanka's innings. Trescothick averaged 41.33 in the Test series, but only 16.00 in the three subsequent ODIs.
England played two Test matches against Pakistan in June 2001. Although Trescothick scored 117 in the second Test, it was not enough for England to win the match. His ODI form improved at the start of the 2001 NatWest Series against Australia and Pakistan, with scores of 69 and 137 respectively. However, his series ended with two consecutive ducks
, and England lost all their matches in the tournament.
, he displayed a tendency to give his wicket away when "well set". England lost the series 4–1, with the majority of the England batsmen's contributions being overshadowed by Mark Butcher
's 173 not out to win the fourth Test. Trescothick's apparent inability to make major scores was again apparent in the 2001–02 One Day International series in Zimbabwe, where he only passed 50 on one occasion despite scoring consistently. He also captained the side for the first time in this series, deputising for the injured Nasser Hussain
.
Trescothick really came into his own on the winter tour of India in 2001. The three-Test series saw him averaging 48.00, with a highest score of 99. He was England's best batsman in the ODI series, averaging 53.00 with a strike rate
of over 100. He scored a century in the first ODI, although England lost by 22 runs. He established a reputation for keeping his composure while the rest of the team were failing; at this point, none of Trescothick's four international centuries had resulted in an England win. He was also man-of-the-match in the final ODI, setting up an England victory, with 95 runs from 80 balls. This tour established Trescothick's reputation as one of England's best batsmen against spin bowling
: according to David Gower, he was "judging line and length very well". Indian Cricket
named him one of their five Cricketers of the Year for 2002. The following tour of New Zealand was less successful for Trescothick, only once reaching double figures in a poor ODI series, coupled with an average Test match performance.
Trescothick had been playing well in 2002, scoring 161 in the Sri Lankan series
and being awarded the Player of the Series in the tri-nation NatWest Series (including a century in the final), until his season was cut short when he fractured
his thumb while fielding. He returned for the fourth Test against India, scoring two half-centuries. Trescothick had mixed fortunes in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
; he followed his century in the NatWest final with a man-of-the-match winning 119 against Zimbabwe, but failed to score as England lost to India and exited the tournament.
In October, Trescothick was one of 11 players awarded "central contracts" by the ECB
, which compensate a player's county for their lack of domestic appearances.
Trescothick was overshadowed by Michael Vaughan
during the 2002–03 Ashes series
, averaging only 26.10 with a top score of 72 in comparison to Vaughan's average of 63.30 and three centuries. Trescothick averaged 31.60 across 10 matches in the VB Series, but England were outplayed by Australia throughout the tour. Trescothick failed to excel in the 2003 World Cup
as England failed to qualify for the knock-out stages. In his five matches, Trescothick's top score was 58 against Namibia
, with a tournament average of 23.20.
Trescothick played well against a weak Zimbabwe side in the two-Test series in May–June 2003, and scored an unbeaten century in the three ODIs against Pakistan averaging over 100. His form continued in the 2003 NatWest Series, with 114 not out against South Africa. The opening stand with Vikram Solanki
of 200 runs was the highest first-wicket partnership for England and provided the first instance of both England openers scoring centuries in the same innings. Trescothick maintained his form in the South Africa Test matches; a career-best 219 at The Oval
completed a successful series in which he averaged 60.87.
In Bangladesh, scores in the nineties against both the President's XI and Bangladesh A were followed by a century in the first Test, and 60 in the second. He scored one half century in the three ODIs, although England only used five batsman in the comfortable victories. England played poorly against Sri Lanka, with Trescothick finding it hard to build a large innings. He attempted to take control of the match with 70 at Colombo
, as England tried to get something from the series, but was also criticised for his poor catching.
His form in the tour to the West Indies in March and April 2004 was mixed. After several low scores in the Test series—Trescothick started with only 20 runs from his first five innings—he reached two half-centuries, but failed to make a substantial match-winning contribution. This poor touring form may have been the start of the troubles that would rule him out of international cricket in the future. Trescothick said, "The hardest thing for me has been the pitches. So far nets
and the matches have been on average surfaces and runs have been hard work...In England you get used to good practice surfaces so the rhythm of batting comes pretty easy [sic]." However, he topped the England batting averages in the 7-match one-day series, with 267 runs including 130 in the 5th ODI and 82 from 57 balls in the 7th.
Back in England, Trescothick was called upon to captain England after Michael Vaughan sustained a knee injury. Although other England captains had seemed to suffer a lack of batting form, the extra authority did not affect Trescothick, and he forged a good partnership with debutant Andrew Strauss
against New Zealand. This understanding developed in the second Test with a first-wicket partnership of 153; Trescothick went on to score 132, his sixth Test century. Trescothick's partnerships with Strauss were to average 52.35 in 52 innings. His first century against the West Indies followed in the second Test, and Trescothick became the first player to make centuries in both innings of a Test match at Edgbaston
, and the ninth England player to score a century in each innings of a Test match. Trescothick was again England's best One Day International batsman in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy
, scoring 261 runs in just four innings, including a century in the final; he also took his fourth ODI wicket.
The 2004–5 tour of Zimbabwe
caused several players to voice their concerns about the Robert Mugabe
regime, the security issues in the country, and the standard of the Zimbabwean side. Steve Harmison
was the first to boycott the tour for "political and sporting reasons", and Flintoff was reported to be considering taking a moral stand himself. The England Chairman of Selectors David Graveney
denied that the selectors would leave out players unhappy with touring Zimbabwe and would put their absences down to injury. Flintoff and Trescothick were, however, "rested" allowing Kevin Pietersen
to make his debut.
Trescothick used the time to prepare for the following series in South Africa, even took up yoga
in attempt to bolster his performances abroad. In December 2004, he made 85 not out against an N.F. Oppenheimer XI
in South Africa. A partnership of 152 with Strauss in the opening Test against South Africa was followed by a partnership of 273 in the second, in which they both scored over 130. This was a record opening partnership at Durban and England's first 200 opening stand since Gooch and Michael Atherton in 1991. Before this, the difference between his home and abroad average was over 20, and his third overseas century went a long way to counter this. With regard to his touring difficulties, Trescothick stated "I wouldn't say I've put it to rest, but I've made a big step forward to putting it to rest. It's a mental battle for me, something I have to deal with and work hard to try to understand what is different. He made a further improvement with an even larger score of 180, as England won the fourth Test. After batting slowly with Ashley Giles
, the fall of Hoggard
's wicket soon afterwards spurred Trescothick to start "unleashing ferocious shots", setting up an unlikely victory with Steve Harmison partnering him. In the matches preceding the 2005 Ashes series
, England wrapped up two easy victories against Bangladesh. Trescothick scored 194 in the first Test, and 151 in the second. He also scored 100 not out against Bangladesh in his 100th ODI, surpassing Gooch's record of eight ODI centuries for England.
Trescothick fared better in 2005 than in the previous Ashes series, becoming the second highest run scorer in the series (behind the prolific Kevin Pietersen
). During the third Test, he became the fastest player to reach 5,000 runs in Test cricket, and also achieved the notable feat of scoring over 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year for the third consecutive year: 1,004 in 2003, 1,003 in 2004, and 1,323 in 2005. He also had the dubious honour of becoming both Glenn McGrath
's 500th and Shane Warne
's 600th Test wicket during the series. Trescothick was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
for his achievements in 2005, and was awarded an MBE
in the 2006 New Year honours list
with the rest of the English team.
For the Test series against Pakistan, Trescothick was offered the captaincy once more due to an injury to Vaughan. He was unsure whether to accept but realised that as "unofficial second in command...I believe it was the right thing to step up. It is exciting to think I could be in charge for a few weeks...I know there is a chance I maybe won't be a one-match wonder this time – it could be the whole series, but being very close to Michael, I've seen the things it [captaincy] does to you." As it transpired, Trescothick scored 193 in the first innings (although England lost the match), and Vaughan returned for the second Test. Trescothick had considered leaving the tour early when his father-in-law had a serious accident, but stayed in Pakistan as fellow opener Andrew Strauss returned home to attend the birth of his first child.
's tour of India in February 2006, Trescothick abruptly returned home citing personal reasons. He later blamed a virus.
Trescothick returned to Test cricket in May, scoring 106 against Sri Lanka to become the first Test centurion of the 2006 English season
. The century proved to be the high point of Trescothick's Test summer, however, as he reached a half-century just once in the subsequent six Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This run of form was lifted later in the year by two ODI centuries, one apiece against Ireland and Sri Lanka. In September, he withdrew from the remaining ODIs against Pakistan and asked not to be considered for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy
squad because of a stress-related illness. It was later believed likely that Trescothick had been suffering from clinical depression
, which was also the cause of much of his trouble throughout 2006.
Returning once again to the international arena, Trescothick was included in the squad for the 2006–07 Ashes
in Australia, and played in the first two tour matches against the Prime Minister's XI
and New South Wales
. On 14 November, following the match against New South Wales, England announced Trescothick was flying home due to a "recurrence of a stress-related illness". Geoffrey Boycott
later stated that depression amongst cricketers is rarely documented, but with the current congested ICC
schedule, player "burnout" and similar illnesses were becoming more commonplace.
Trescothick's uncertainty over his place in the England squad drew varied criticism. However, he also received support from respected players, including Somerset captain Justin Langer
, Alec Stewart
, Mike Gatting
, and Bob Woolmer
.
operation, and proving himself fit for the start of the county
season, Trescothick began his comeback to cricket by scoring 256 from 117 balls in a 50 over match against Devon
on 8 April 2007, helping Somerset to 502–4 off their 50 overs.
His comeback to the County Championship continued with a 44-ball half-century against Middlesex
on 19 April 2007, while in May he hit a career-best 284 against Northamptonshire
, although Trescothick stated then that he did not feel ready for an international Test match position. Trescothick followed this double century with a knock of 76 off 35 balls against Northamptonshire, with five fours and seven sixes.
Debate over Trescothick's place in the England squad continued amid an end-of-series reshuffle in the England batting lineup. This included the dropping of fellow opener Strauss from the one-day side, and the rise of Alastair Cook
as a Test and ODI opener for England. Trescothick stated that he would see how he progresses before committing to the international scene: "Of course I'd love to play for England again.... Clearly, if I want to continue my career I have to undertake another tour. But for now, if and when I get back to full fitness and I think I am OK and ready to play, I'll make myself available for England." He added that he was "desperate to play for England again" but was waiting until he was "as convinced as I can be that I am ready to take on the challenge of international cricket".
In July 2007, Trescothick was named in the preliminary squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, with the full squad to be confirmed on 11 August. However, Trescothick pulled himself out of the squad before the final confirmation date, stating that "[I am] now clear that I should take more time to complete my recovery". The England selectors confirmed that they remained in favour of including Trescothick at some point, looking "forward to his making himself available again for England when the time is right". Trescothick, however, said that he knows England cannot wait for him forever, and on 10 September 2007 he went into his second year without an England contract.
Meanwhile, his good domestic form continued with a fast 146 and 69 not out during a four-day match against Northamptonshire
, giving Somerset an unlikely victory. A score of 49 from 83 balls followed in the four-day match against Nottinghamshire
, and a score of 84 from 79 balls against Durham
was followed by a man-of-the-match winning 124 which saw Somerset promoted to the first division of the NatWest Pro40
. Of his 2007 season, Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose
stated that Trescothick had made "terrific progress". Trescothick maintained prolific form throughout the season despite a foot injury, scoring 1,343 runs at an average of 61.04 to guide Somerset to the Division 2 championship. He was awarded a benefit year
in 2008, following on from successful surgery on an injured metatarsal
. He remains firm, however, on his decision to stay out of the England team for the sake of his health.
On 15 March 2008, Somerset announced that Trescothick had decided to pull out of the county's pre-season tour of the UAE after suffering a recurrence of his condition, leading many to speculate that, given this latest setback, it seemed increasing unlikely that Trescothick would represent England again. Somerset's director of cricket Brian Rose, however, stated that he didn't "see the setback as a major problem" and that Trescothick would be able to play for Somerset in the following season, and "for many years" after. He would never return to international level, however, and announced his retirement from international cricket on 22 March 2008. He stated that he had "tried on numerous occasions to make it back to the international stage and it has proved a lot more difficult than [he] expected" and repeated his desire to continue playing domestic cricket. He later stated that it was his decision to withdraw from Somerset's tour of Dubai
that prompted his decision.
In response, Angus Fraser
wrote: "Obviously, it is sad to see such a dedicated, patriotic and likeable man forced to give up something that patently meant so much to him, but the inner torment that came with attempting to overcome the mental illness that prevented him from touring with England for more than two years had to be brought to an end. It was doing Trescothick and his family no good at all. Representing your country is a source of huge pride, but there are far more important things in life". Fraser also wrote: "It was in Pakistan that Marcus Trescothick's mental illness began to stir and the opener has not played an overseas test since".
After an excellent domestic season for Somerset, including 184 in a 40-over match against Gloucestershire
(his highest List A score), Trescothick released his autobiography
, Coming Back to Me (ISBN 978-0007302116), on 1 September 2008, explaining that he had suffered from anxiety attacks since the age of 10, and that playing domestic cricket meant that, at all times, he was only ever three hours away from his family. He said,
The book subsequently earned much kudos for its honesty, drawing comparison with Harold Gimblett
similar mental health issues. Despite attempts by Pietersen to entice Trescothick back into the England set-up, Trescothick confirmed that his decision has been made and that he is putting his health and family first. In November 2008 Coming Back to Me was named the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year
, and in April 2009, Trescothick turned down another request from new England captain Andrew Strauss
to consider making himself available for England's World Twenty20 Championship campaign.
of Anxiety UK, following the revelations of his biography. As the season progressed, Trescothick found success in all forms of the game. On 1 June, he scored 69 from 47 balls as part of a 129-partnership with Craig Kieswetter
against Glamorgan
; on 3 June he scored 52 against Worcestershire
; he was stumped five short of his second Championship century of the season against Lancashire; and then scored 78 against Yorkshire on 14 June. By 16 June, he had scored a hundred apiece in the Friends Provident Trophy
and the County Championship
, both with averages in the high 50s. On 31 July, he became the first player in the country to accrue 1,000 first-class runs in the 2009 season during the 1st innings of the County Championship
match against Nottinghamshire
. He also performed well in the one day arena, taking Somerset to the final of the Twenty20 championship while continuing to reject any suggestions of returning for the final Test of the 2009 Ashes series. He finished the season as the leading run scorer in the County Championship, scoring 1,817 runs. With the departure of Justin Langer
, Trescothick was named as Somerset captain from 2010 onwards.
Trescothick was also named Most Valuable Player by the Professional Cricketers' Association
for his 2,934 runs in all competitions in the 2009 season, 1,745 of these in the County Championship. Over the winter he starred in a short film to promote Somerset, commissioned by inward investment agency Into Somerset
.
, Trescothick and his county travelled to India to partake in the Champions League Twenty20 in October. Though both Kieswetter and Hildreth were anticipated as successes, it was Trescothick who was described as having "been in sparkling form all season" and began the tournament under media scrutiny given his previous difficulties playing on tour. There was much speculation regarding any "recurrence of his stress-related illness that originally occurred in 2006", as this was to be his first overseas outing since an aborted attempt in 2008. Trescothick himself responded to the media by making a statement to the BBC World Service
which read "I know the risk and I know what happens when it goes wrong. In the last couple of times I have tried to go on tour it's failed, so of course [it is a risk]... Let's try and break the tradition of what has happened over the last few times... I can only try. It's a big competition for the players and for the club. I have got to try and make it happen." Meanwhile, Langer assured the media that Trescothick could pull out whenever he wished to. Somerset, who began the tour without Trescothick as he was arriving later than most of the squad, commenced their warm up with a victory over the Otago Volts
. The opener arrived three days later, confident in his ability to complete the tour. Somerset began with a close victory against the Deccan Chargers
on 10 October, winning from the last ball. Trescothick was dismissed for 14 from 12 in his first match outside England since 2006, "after offering a fleeting glimpse of his talent" according to CricInfo.
Trescothick was unable to avoid a recurrence of his previous difficulties when travelling abroad, however, and returned home on 15 October, citing the same "stress related illness". Brian Rose
, who Trescothick had approached initially after Somerset's defeat by Trinidad and Tobago
on 12 October, released a statement to the media stating "Marcus admitted a couple of days ago that he wasn't 100% so that's fair enough. I think his future will be in domestic cricket and that may even help him with this particular form of illness. I think over the next two or three years you'll see Marcus Trescothick performing wonderfully well in county cricket." Michael Vaughan, who had by then retired from cricket, praised Trescothick's "courageous" decision, as did Vikram Solanki, then PCA chairman. Journalist Andrew Miller called for an end to the rising criticism of Trescothick's decision from the public, while Paul Hayward of the Guardian also derided those critical of the Somerset player's actions. Despite returning home, Trescothick continued to affirm his commitment to the club by signing a new three-year contract with optional fourth year, in December. He was named captain for the 2010 season.
with only 95 runs from the first five matches, and in the Friends Provident T20 173 runs at 21.62 with a best of 50. This half century came on 25 June, where together with Kieron Pollard
helped secure victory over Sussex, and was scored from 31 balls. Despite Trescothick's four-day form, however, Somerset struggled early on, with only one victory over Yorkshire. In a Twenty20 match against Hampshire on 9 July at Taunton, Trescothick hit a half-century from 13 deliveries, including five sixes and five fours – a record fastest fifty in English domestic Twenty20 cricket. He was eventually dismissed for 78 from only 32 balls. He went on to lead Somerset to runners-up position for all three English domestic competitions, losing out to Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, Hampshire in the Twenty20 and Warwickshire in the CB40 competition.
In 2011 Trescothick started off the county championship season very strongly and was the first batsman in the country to score 1000 championship runs. He was awarded the 2011 season MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for his performances throughout the season.
Man of the match awards:
Man of the Series awards:
Career performance:
Man of the match awards:
Man of the Series awards:
Career performance:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(trɛsˈkɒθɪk; born 25 December 1975 in Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) is an English cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He plays first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, and represented England in 76 Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established himself as a regular member of the team. Trescothick made his One Day International (ODI) debut seven years later, against Zimbabwe in July 2000. His Test debut, against the West Indies, followed in August. Although former England captain
English national cricket captains
This is a list of all English national cricket captains, comprising all of the men, boys and women who have captained an English national cricket team at official international level. England played in the first Test match in 1877 and have played more Test matches, and had more captains, than any...
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain OBE is a former Essex and England cricketer.Beginning his career in a strong Essex side in the late 1980s, he was an outstanding fielder and a stylish but inconsistent batsman. In first-class cricket from 1987 to 2004 Hussain scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06,...
likened Trescothick's build and batting temperament to that of Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
, his stroke play is more reminiscent of David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
. As an aggressive opener, he holds the record for the fastest half-century in English Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket. Trescothick is also an accomplished slip fielder
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
and occasional right-handed medium pace bowler
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
who has kept wicket
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
for England in five ODIs, and deputised as England captain for two Test matches and ten ODIs.
Trescothick was an automatic choice for England between 2000 and 2006, before a stress-related illness threatened his career and forced him to pull out of the national squad. He began the process of rebuilding his career with Somerset in 2007, and scored two double-centuries that season. However, he continued to remain uneasy about returning to international cricket, and announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008, opting to continue playing at county level for Somerset. Since then, media speculation has continued as to a possible international return – however, Trescothick has repeatedly voiced his intent to remain in retirement, and has suffered recurrences of his condition in both 2008 and 2009 when Somerset toured abroad.
Early years and personal life
Trescothick was immersed into cricket from an early age. His father, Martyn, played two matches for Somerset's Second XI and was a good amateur player, appearing for Bristol and District Cricket Association between 1967 and 1976. They played together in competitive Western League matches while his mother, Lin, made the club teasClub cricket
Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are always observed...
. He was educated at the Sir Bernard Lovell School
Bernard Lovell
Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE, FRS is an English physicist and radio astronomer. He was the first Director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, from 1945 to 1980.-Early Life:...
in Oldland Common
Oldland Common
Oldland Common is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, on the outskirts of Bristol. It is in the civil parish of Bitton, approximately 8 miles between the centres of cities Bristol and Bath...
near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, where his exceptional scores for the school were rewarded with a Somerset contract in 1993. He was nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Tresco and Banger, the latter deriving from his diet as a young player:
My diet was sausages then, in no particular order, sausages, chips, sausages, toast, sausages, beans, sausages, cheese, sausages, eggs, and the occasional sausage.
Trescothick married Hayley Rowse in Trull
Trull
Trull is village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Taunton. The parish which includes Dipford has a population of 1,861.-History:The name Trull is thought to derive from the word Trendle meaning circle or wheel....
, Somerset, on 24 January 2004, and the couple have two daughters, Ellie Louise (born April 2005) and Millie Grace (born January 2008). He lives in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, and also owns property in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, near similar properties owned by Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
and Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
. Trescothick is an honorary vice-president of Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, as well as being a keen golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. Outside sport, he has been recognised with a Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
Citizenship Award, and was granted the Freedom
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of his home town, Keynsham.
Early domestic career
Trescothick's first full season at Somerset in 1994 was one of his best, where he scored a total of 925 runs, including two centuriesCentury (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
and eight half-centuries at an impressive batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 48.63. Having played for the English U-19 cricket team
English U-19 cricket team
The English Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1974. Prior to 1991/92 they were known as England Young Cricketers....
against the West Indies
West Indian U-19 cricket team
The West Indian Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1974. Future international players to have represented the team include Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Courtney Walsh....
in 1993, and Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan U-19 cricket team
The Sri Lankan Under-19 cricket team is the cricket team that represents Sri Lanka in International Under-19 Cricket. It consists of school-aged cricketers.-2011 Under-19 squad:The squad selected for the 2011 Under-19 Cricket team....
and India
Indian U-19 cricket team
The Indian Under-19 cricket team represents the nation of India in cricket at Under-19 level.-2011 Current Team:* Unmukt Chand* Manan Vohra* B Aparajith* M.Bhattacharya* Harmeet Singh* Kumar Deobrat * AD Nath * S Patel * Rush Kalaria...
in 1994, Trescothick was named captain for the two Under-19 series against West Indies and South Africa
South African U-19 cricket team
The South African Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1995. International players to have represented the team include Wayne Parnell, Neil McKenzie, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Craig Kieswetter, who now plays for England.The Under-19...
in 1995. His career aggregate of 1,032 runs for England U-19 is second only to John Crawley
John Crawley
John Paul Crawley is a retired English professional cricketer, who represented England in 37 Test matches. He is regarded alongside his near contemporaries Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash as a hugely talented player who failed to realise his full potential at international level.Crawley is a...
's 1,058.
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
(a third of his season's total), and a hat-trick, including the wicket of century-maker Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
, for Somerset against Young Australia. Trescothick's England Under-19 form was still excellent, averaging 74.62 with the bat in six matches. His Under-19 team mates would often mock him for wearing an England blazer after his matches; Trescothick would reply by saying that "it might be the closest I get to playing for England".
The following five years were mixed for Trescothick. Averaging about 30 runs per innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
, he was often criticised for a lack of foot movement. David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
described Trescothick's technique by saying "he does not need to move a long way but needs to move enough. When he is playing well ... he is very good at transferring weight. When he is not playing well, his feet get stuck". However, Trescothick was awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award
NBC Denis Compton Award
The NBC Denis Compton Award is an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 English first-class counties. A player may receive the award more than once.-History:...
for Somerset's most promising young county player in the 1996 and 1997 seasons. In 1997, Somerset Second XI were set 612 to win by Warwickshire Second XI, and Trescothick scored 322 to bring the Seconds to 605.
In 1999, Trescothick impressed Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
coach Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher OBE is a former Zimbabwean cricketer, formerly captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team and the current coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He has been appointed as coach of the Indian Cricket Team on April 27, 2011...
in a county match
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
at Taunton, by scoring 167 in a low-scoring match where the next-highest innings was 50. When England opening batsman Nick Knight
Nick Knight
Nicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
sustained a finger injury in 2000, Fletcher, who had been appointed England coach, called on Trescothick to make his England debut in the NatWest Series
NatWest Series
The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank.-2000 to 2005: triangular series:...
against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. Trescothick's regular selection for England meant that he was rarely available for domestic selection between 2000 and 2006, often playing only a few matches for Somerset at the start of the season.
Debut and centuries on maiden tour
Trescothick participated in two England A tours during the winter of 1999, but his full One Day International debut came against Zimbabwe at The OvalThe Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
on 9 July 2000, when he scored 79. He continued his good form in the tournament
NatWest Series
The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank.-2000 to 2005: triangular series:...
with a Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
-winning 87 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against the West Indies at Chester-le-street
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
, amassing 288 runs at an average of 48.00 and taking two wickets against Zimbabwe at Old Trafford.
As a result of his good form in the NatWest series, Trescothick was given his Test match debut later that summer in the third Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford. He displayed a calm temperament when England lost early wickets, scoring 66 and forming a partnership of 179 with Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
. Journalist Thrasy Petropoulos observed that there was "poise and durability...just as there had been enterprise and verve to his impressive start in the one-day arena." He ended the Test series with an average of 47.50.
2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy
The 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Kenya. New Zealand were crowned champions and cashed the winner's cheque of US$250 000. It was their first win in a major ICC tournament...
at Nairobi Gymkhana Club
Nairobi Gymkhana Club
Nairobi Gymkhana Club is a cricket ground and team in Nairobi, Kenya. It hosted two matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The ground has a capacity of 7,000 people. It is located north of the central business district, but not far from it....
. Trescothick did not score highly in the tournament, and England were knocked out at the quarter-final stage against South Africa. Trescothick was named the Professional Cricketers' Association
Professional Cricketers' Association
The Professional Cricketers' Association is the representative body of past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales, founded in 1967...
Player of the Year for his performances for Somerset throughout 2000.
Trescothick's maiden international century came against the Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
Governor's XI in October 2000, during the first warm-up match to the Pakistan series. Trescothick reached his highest score (71) of the three Test matches in the opening innings of the first Test. He took his sole Test wicket in the third Test, when Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
caught the Pakistan opener Imran Nazir
Imran Nazir
Imran Nazir is a Pakistani right handed batsman in cricket who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket matches.-Career:...
.
Trescothick started the Sri Lanka tour with a century against a Sri Lanka 'Colts XI'. He was the top scorer in both innings of the first Test with 122 and 57, although this was overshadowed by Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Samson Atapattu is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain. Towards the end of his career he joined the Indian Cricket League and captained the Delhi Giants...
's 201 not out in Sri Lanka's innings. Trescothick averaged 41.33 in the Test series, but only 16.00 in the three subsequent ODIs.
England played two Test matches against Pakistan in June 2001. Although Trescothick scored 117 in the second Test, it was not enough for England to win the match. His ODI form improved at the start of the 2001 NatWest Series against Australia and Pakistan, with scores of 69 and 137 respectively. However, his series ended with two consecutive ducks
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
, and England lost all their matches in the tournament.
England's leading batsman, 2001–02
Although Trescothick was England's second highest run scorer in the 2001 Ashes seriesAustralian cricket team in England in 2001
-Second Test: 19 – 22 July 2001:-Third Test: 2 – 6 August 2001:Australia retained the Ashes with a seven-wicket victory over England in the third Test at Trent Bridge. England won the toss and chose to bat first, England needed to win the game to give them a outisde chance of winning the Ashes. But...
, he displayed a tendency to give his wicket away when "well set". England lost the series 4–1, with the majority of the England batsmen's contributions being overshadowed by Mark Butcher
Mark Butcher
Mark Alan Butcher is a former English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until his retirement from the sport in 2009. He was a left-handed batsman, and occasional right-arm medium-pace bowler....
's 173 not out to win the fourth Test. Trescothick's apparent inability to make major scores was again apparent in the 2001–02 One Day International series in Zimbabwe, where he only passed 50 on one occasion despite scoring consistently. He also captained the side for the first time in this series, deputising for the injured Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain OBE is a former Essex and England cricketer.Beginning his career in a strong Essex side in the late 1980s, he was an outstanding fielder and a stylish but inconsistent batsman. In first-class cricket from 1987 to 2004 Hussain scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06,...
.
Trescothick really came into his own on the winter tour of India in 2001. The three-Test series saw him averaging 48.00, with a highest score of 99. He was England's best batsman in the ODI series, averaging 53.00 with a strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
of over 100. He scored a century in the first ODI, although England lost by 22 runs. He established a reputation for keeping his composure while the rest of the team were failing; at this point, none of Trescothick's four international centuries had resulted in an England win. He was also man-of-the-match in the final ODI, setting up an England victory, with 95 runs from 80 balls. This tour established Trescothick's reputation as one of England's best batsmen against spin bowling
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
: according to David Gower, he was "judging line and length very well". Indian Cricket
Indian Cricket (annual)
Indian Cricket was a cricket yearbook published by The Hindu from 1946–47 to 2004. There was no 2003 issue and so there are 57 editions in all. During most of its run it was the principal annual of its kind in India...
named him one of their five Cricketers of the Year for 2002. The following tour of New Zealand was less successful for Trescothick, only once reaching double figures in a poor ODI series, coupled with an average Test match performance.
Trescothick had been playing well in 2002, scoring 161 in the Sri Lankan series
Sri Lankan cricket team in England in 2002
The Sri Lanka cricket team toured England in the 2002 season to play a three-match Test series against England.England won the series 2-0 with 1 match drawn.-Test series summary:* — match drawn...
and being awarded the Player of the Series in the tri-nation NatWest Series (including a century in the final), until his season was cut short when he fractured
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
his thumb while fielding. He returned for the fourth Test against India, scoring two half-centuries. Trescothick had mixed fortunes in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
2002 ICC Champions Trophy
-Semifinals: -Finals: =*Ricky Ponting *Adam Gilchrist *Michael Bevan*Jason Gillespie*Nathan Hauritz*Matthew Hayden*Brett Lee*Darren Lehmann*Jimmy Maher...
; he followed his century in the NatWest final with a man-of-the-match winning 119 against Zimbabwe, but failed to score as England lost to India and exited the tournament.
In October, Trescothick was one of 11 players awarded "central contracts" by the ECB
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
, which compensate a player's county for their lack of domestic appearances.
Trescothick was overshadowed by Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
during the 2002–03 Ashes series
English cricket team in Australia in 2002-03
-England XI v Western Australia:-England XI v Western Australia:-England XI v Queensland:-England XI v New South Wales, 6 December 2002:New South Wales won by 6 wickets-England XI v Prime Minister's XI, 10 December 2002:...
, averaging only 26.10 with a top score of 72 in comparison to Vaughan's average of 63.30 and three centuries. Trescothick averaged 31.60 across 10 matches in the VB Series, but England were outplayed by Australia throughout the tour. Trescothick failed to excel in the 2003 World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
as England failed to qualify for the knock-out stages. In his five matches, Trescothick's top score was 58 against Namibia
Namibia national cricket team
The Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003...
, with a tournament average of 23.20.
Continued success in 2003 and 2004
Vikram Solanki
Vikram Singh Solanki is an Indian-born English cricketer, who plays county cricket for Worcestershire. In 2007, he became the 24th Worcestershire batsman to pass 10,000 career runs for the county. He also captained Worcestershire from 2005 to 2010, before resigning mid-season...
of 200 runs was the highest first-wicket partnership for England and provided the first instance of both England openers scoring centuries in the same innings. Trescothick maintained his form in the South Africa Test matches; a career-best 219 at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
completed a successful series in which he averaged 60.87.
In Bangladesh, scores in the nineties against both the President's XI and Bangladesh A were followed by a century in the first Test, and 60 in the second. He scored one half century in the three ODIs, although England only used five batsman in the comfortable victories. England played poorly against Sri Lanka, with Trescothick finding it hard to build a large innings. He attempted to take control of the match with 70 at Colombo
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
The Sinhalese Sports Club is one of the most famous cricket grounds in Sri Lanka. It is theheadquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket, the controlling body of cricket in Sri Lanka. The Ground often cited as the Lord's of Sri Lanka, hosting most domestic finals and one of preeminent international cricket...
, as England tried to get something from the series, but was also criticised for his poor catching.
His form in the tour to the West Indies in March and April 2004 was mixed. After several low scores in the Test series—Trescothick started with only 20 runs from his first five innings—he reached two half-centuries, but failed to make a substantial match-winning contribution. This poor touring form may have been the start of the troubles that would rule him out of international cricket in the future. Trescothick said, "The hardest thing for me has been the pitches. So far nets
Cricket nets
Cricket nets are practice nets used by batsmen and bowlers to warm up and/or improve their cricketing techniques. Cricket nets consist of a cricket pitch which is enclosed by cricket nets on either side, to the rear and optionally the roof. The bowling end of the net is left open...
and the matches have been on average surfaces and runs have been hard work...In England you get used to good practice surfaces so the rhythm of batting comes pretty easy [sic]." However, he topped the England batting averages in the 7-match one-day series, with 267 runs including 130 in the 5th ODI and 82 from 57 balls in the 7th.
Back in England, Trescothick was called upon to captain England after Michael Vaughan sustained a knee injury. Although other England captains had seemed to suffer a lack of batting form, the extra authority did not affect Trescothick, and he forged a good partnership with debutant Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
against New Zealand. This understanding developed in the second Test with a first-wicket partnership of 153; Trescothick went on to score 132, his sixth Test century. Trescothick's partnerships with Strauss were to average 52.35 in 52 innings. His first century against the West Indies followed in the second Test, and Trescothick became the first player to make centuries in both innings of a Test match at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, and the ninth England player to score a century in each innings of a Test match. Trescothick was again England's best One Day International batsman in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy
2004 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2004 ICC Champions Trophy was held in England in September 2004. Twelve teams, including the Test nations, together with Kenya, and – making their One Day International debut – the USA, competed in fifteen matches spread over sixteen days at three venues Edgbaston, The Rose Bowl and The...
, scoring 261 runs in just four innings, including a century in the final; he also took his fourth ODI wicket.
2004 and 2005 Ashes
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
caused several players to voice their concerns about the Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
regime, the security issues in the country, and the standard of the Zimbabwean side. Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
was the first to boycott the tour for "political and sporting reasons", and Flintoff was reported to be considering taking a moral stand himself. The England Chairman of Selectors David Graveney
David Graveney
David Anthony Graveney OBE is a leading figure in English cricket and former chairman of the England Test selectors, a post he held from 1997 until 2008. Graveney attended Millfield School in Somerset....
denied that the selectors would leave out players unhappy with touring Zimbabwe and would put their absences down to injury. Flintoff and Trescothick were, however, "rested" allowing Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
to make his debut.
Trescothick used the time to prepare for the following series in South Africa, even took up yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
in attempt to bolster his performances abroad. In December 2004, he made 85 not out against an N.F. Oppenheimer XI
Nicky Oppenheimer
Nicholas "Nicky" F. Oppenheimer is a South African businessman, the chairman of the De Beers diamond mining company and its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company. He also has a large financial interest in the diversified mining company Anglo American. In November 2011 the Oppenheimer family sold...
in South Africa. A partnership of 152 with Strauss in the opening Test against South Africa was followed by a partnership of 273 in the second, in which they both scored over 130. This was a record opening partnership at Durban and England's first 200 opening stand since Gooch and Michael Atherton in 1991. Before this, the difference between his home and abroad average was over 20, and his third overseas century went a long way to counter this. With regard to his touring difficulties, Trescothick stated "I wouldn't say I've put it to rest, but I've made a big step forward to putting it to rest. It's a mental battle for me, something I have to deal with and work hard to try to understand what is different. He made a further improvement with an even larger score of 180, as England won the fourth Test. After batting slowly with Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
, the fall of Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
's wicket soon afterwards spurred Trescothick to start "unleashing ferocious shots", setting up an unlikely victory with Steve Harmison partnering him. In the matches preceding the 2005 Ashes series
2005 Ashes series
The 2005 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia. Starting on 21 July 2005, England and Australia played five Tests, with the Ashes held by Australia as the most recent victors...
, England wrapped up two easy victories against Bangladesh. Trescothick scored 194 in the first Test, and 151 in the second. He also scored 100 not out against Bangladesh in his 100th ODI, surpassing Gooch's record of eight ODI centuries for England.
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
). During the third Test, he became the fastest player to reach 5,000 runs in Test cricket, and also achieved the notable feat of scoring over 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year for the third consecutive year: 1,004 in 2003, 1,003 in 2004, and 1,323 in 2005. He also had the dubious honour of becoming both Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
's 500th and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
's 600th Test wicket during the series. Trescothick was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
for his achievements in 2005, and was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 2006 New Year honours list
New Year Honours 2006
The New Year Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 31 December 2005, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2006....
with the rest of the English team.
For the Test series against Pakistan, Trescothick was offered the captaincy once more due to an injury to Vaughan. He was unsure whether to accept but realised that as "unofficial second in command...I believe it was the right thing to step up. It is exciting to think I could be in charge for a few weeks...I know there is a chance I maybe won't be a one-match wonder this time – it could be the whole series, but being very close to Michael, I've seen the things it [captaincy] does to you." As it transpired, Trescothick scored 193 in the first innings (although England lost the match), and Vaughan returned for the second Test. Trescothick had considered leaving the tour early when his father-in-law had a serious accident, but stayed in Pakistan as fellow opener Andrew Strauss returned home to attend the birth of his first child.
Illness and depression throughout 2006
During EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
's tour of India in February 2006, Trescothick abruptly returned home citing personal reasons. He later blamed a virus.
Trescothick returned to Test cricket in May, scoring 106 against Sri Lanka to become the first Test centurion of the 2006 English season
2006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season includes home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England are coming off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985...
. The century proved to be the high point of Trescothick's Test summer, however, as he reached a half-century just once in the subsequent six Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This run of form was lifted later in the year by two ODI centuries, one apiece against Ireland and Sri Lanka. In September, he withdrew from the remaining ODIs against Pakistan and asked not to be considered for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy
2006 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
squad because of a stress-related illness. It was later believed likely that Trescothick had been suffering from clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, which was also the cause of much of his trouble throughout 2006.
Returning once again to the international arena, Trescothick was included in the squad for the 2006–07 Ashes
2006-07 Ashes series
The 2006–07 cricket series between Australia and England for the Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that had been lost to England in the 2005 Ashes series...
in Australia, and played in the first two tour matches against the Prime Minister's XI
Prime Minister's XI
Prime Minister's XI or PM's XI is the name of an annual cricket match held at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, with the Australian team picked by the Prime Minister of Australia playing against an overseas team...
and New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
. On 14 November, following the match against New South Wales, England announced Trescothick was flying home due to a "recurrence of a stress-related illness". Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
later stated that depression amongst cricketers is rarely documented, but with the current congested ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
schedule, player "burnout" and similar illnesses were becoming more commonplace.
Trescothick's uncertainty over his place in the England squad drew varied criticism. However, he also received support from respected players, including Somerset captain Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
, Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
, Mike Gatting
Mike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
, and Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer was an international cricketer, professional cricket coach and also a professional commentator...
.
Recovery then international retirement in 2007—2008
Trescothick ended some speculation about his international career by announcing that he would like to be considered for a place in the national side in the future. England's management staff continued to support him, and named him in the initial 25-man squad for the 2007 Test series against the West Indies. Having recovered from a double herniaHernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
operation, and proving himself fit for the start of the county
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
season, Trescothick began his comeback to cricket by scoring 256 from 117 balls in a 50 over match against Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
on 8 April 2007, helping Somerset to 502–4 off their 50 overs.
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
on 19 April 2007, while in May he hit a career-best 284 against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, although Trescothick stated then that he did not feel ready for an international Test match position. Trescothick followed this double century with a knock of 76 off 35 balls against Northamptonshire, with five fours and seven sixes.
Debate over Trescothick's place in the England squad continued amid an end-of-series reshuffle in the England batting lineup. This included the dropping of fellow opener Strauss from the one-day side, and the rise of Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
as a Test and ODI opener for England. Trescothick stated that he would see how he progresses before committing to the international scene: "Of course I'd love to play for England again.... Clearly, if I want to continue my career I have to undertake another tour. But for now, if and when I get back to full fitness and I think I am OK and ready to play, I'll make myself available for England." He added that he was "desperate to play for England again" but was waiting until he was "as convinced as I can be that I am ready to take on the challenge of international cricket".
In July 2007, Trescothick was named in the preliminary squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, with the full squad to be confirmed on 11 August. However, Trescothick pulled himself out of the squad before the final confirmation date, stating that "[I am] now clear that I should take more time to complete my recovery". The England selectors confirmed that they remained in favour of including Trescothick at some point, looking "forward to his making himself available again for England when the time is right". Trescothick, however, said that he knows England cannot wait for him forever, and on 10 September 2007 he went into his second year without an England contract.
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, giving Somerset an unlikely victory. A score of 49 from 83 balls followed in the four-day match against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, and a score of 84 from 79 balls against Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
was followed by a man-of-the-match winning 124 which saw Somerset promoted to the first division of the NatWest Pro40
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
. Of his 2007 season, Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose
Brian Rose (cricketer)
Brian Charles Rose is an English former cricketer, who played in nine Tests and two ODIs for England from 1977 to 1981.-Life and career:...
stated that Trescothick had made "terrific progress". Trescothick maintained prolific form throughout the season despite a foot injury, scoring 1,343 runs at an average of 61.04 to guide Somerset to the Division 2 championship. He was awarded a benefit year
Benefit season
A benefit season is a method of financially rewarding professional cricketers that is used by English county cricket teams to compensate long serving players....
in 2008, following on from successful surgery on an injured metatarsal
Fifth metatarsal bone
The fifth metatarsal bone is recognized by a rough eminence, the tuberosity, on the lateral side of its base.The base articulates behind, by a triangular surface cut obliquely in a transverse direction, with the cuboid; and medially, with the fourth metatarsal.On the medial part of its dorsal...
. He remains firm, however, on his decision to stay out of the England team for the sake of his health.
On 15 March 2008, Somerset announced that Trescothick had decided to pull out of the county's pre-season tour of the UAE after suffering a recurrence of his condition, leading many to speculate that, given this latest setback, it seemed increasing unlikely that Trescothick would represent England again. Somerset's director of cricket Brian Rose, however, stated that he didn't "see the setback as a major problem" and that Trescothick would be able to play for Somerset in the following season, and "for many years" after. He would never return to international level, however, and announced his retirement from international cricket on 22 March 2008. He stated that he had "tried on numerous occasions to make it back to the international stage and it has proved a lot more difficult than [he] expected" and repeated his desire to continue playing domestic cricket. He later stated that it was his decision to withdraw from Somerset's tour of Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
that prompted his decision.
In response, Angus Fraser
Angus Fraser
Angus Robert Charles Fraser is the current Managing Director of Cricket of Middlesex County Cricket Club, and a former English cricketer and journalist....
wrote: "Obviously, it is sad to see such a dedicated, patriotic and likeable man forced to give up something that patently meant so much to him, but the inner torment that came with attempting to overcome the mental illness that prevented him from touring with England for more than two years had to be brought to an end. It was doing Trescothick and his family no good at all. Representing your country is a source of huge pride, but there are far more important things in life". Fraser also wrote: "It was in Pakistan that Marcus Trescothick's mental illness began to stir and the opener has not played an overseas test since".
After an excellent domestic season for Somerset, including 184 in a 40-over match against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
(his highest List A score), Trescothick released his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Coming Back to Me (ISBN 978-0007302116), on 1 September 2008, explaining that he had suffered from anxiety attacks since the age of 10, and that playing domestic cricket meant that, at all times, he was only ever three hours away from his family. He said,
The book subsequently earned much kudos for its honesty, drawing comparison with Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
similar mental health issues. Despite attempts by Pietersen to entice Trescothick back into the England set-up, Trescothick confirmed that his decision has been made and that he is putting his health and family first. In November 2008 Coming Back to Me was named the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year
William Hill Sports Book of the Year
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British literary award sponsored by bookmakers William Hill. It claims to be "the world's richest sports book prize" at £22,000...
, and in April 2009, Trescothick turned down another request from new England captain Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
to consider making himself available for England's World Twenty20 Championship campaign.
Later county career
Trescothick continued his career with Somerset into 2009, having received a benefit year from his county, as well as a new stand in his name. During his benefit year he averaged 46.59 in the 4-day game, including three centuries, and he started 2009 with 52 against Warwickshire. It was also announced on 20 April 2009 that Trescothick has become a patronPatrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of Anxiety UK, following the revelations of his biography. As the season progressed, Trescothick found success in all forms of the game. On 1 June, he scored 69 from 47 balls as part of a 129-partnership with Craig Kieswetter
Craig Kieswetter
Craig Kieswetter is an England cricketer of South African and Scottish heritage. He is a wicket-keeper batsman. An aggressive batsman, he began his career with the South Africa Under-19s, before stating that he wished to play international cricket for England. He began playing county cricket for...
against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
; on 3 June he scored 52 against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
; he was stumped five short of his second Championship century of the season against Lancashire; and then scored 78 against Yorkshire on 14 June. By 16 June, he had scored a hundred apiece in the Friends Provident Trophy
2009 Friends Provident Trophy
The 2009 Friends Provident Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 19 April and 25 July 2009. The competition was won by Hampshire Hawks who beat the Sussex Sharks by 6 wickets at Lord's.- Format :...
and the County Championship
2009 County Championship
The 2009 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away...
, both with averages in the high 50s. On 31 July, he became the first player in the country to accrue 1,000 first-class runs in the 2009 season during the 1st innings of the County Championship
2009 County Championship
The 2009 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away...
match against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. He also performed well in the one day arena, taking Somerset to the final of the Twenty20 championship while continuing to reject any suggestions of returning for the final Test of the 2009 Ashes series. He finished the season as the leading run scorer in the County Championship, scoring 1,817 runs. With the departure of Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
, Trescothick was named as Somerset captain from 2010 onwards.
Trescothick was also named Most Valuable Player by the Professional Cricketers' Association
Professional Cricketers' Association
The Professional Cricketers' Association is the representative body of past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales, founded in 1967...
for his 2,934 runs in all competitions in the 2009 season, 1,745 of these in the County Championship. Over the winter he starred in a short film to promote Somerset, commissioned by inward investment agency Into Somerset
Into Somerset
Into Somerset is the inward investment agency for the county of Somerset, England. - Into Somerset website It works with local authorities, other economic agencies and private sector partners, to encourage business relocation to Somerset....
.
2009 Champions League Twenty20
With Somerset runners-up in the English 2009 Twenty20 Cup2009 Twenty20 Cup
The 2009 Twenty20 Cup was the seventh Twenty20 Cup competition for English and Welsh county clubs. The finals day took place on 15 August at Edgbaston, and was won by the Sussex Sharks.-Midlands/Wales/West Division:-North Division:...
, Trescothick and his county travelled to India to partake in the Champions League Twenty20 in October. Though both Kieswetter and Hildreth were anticipated as successes, it was Trescothick who was described as having "been in sparkling form all season" and began the tournament under media scrutiny given his previous difficulties playing on tour. There was much speculation regarding any "recurrence of his stress-related illness that originally occurred in 2006", as this was to be his first overseas outing since an aborted attempt in 2008. Trescothick himself responded to the media by making a statement to the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
which read "I know the risk and I know what happens when it goes wrong. In the last couple of times I have tried to go on tour it's failed, so of course [it is a risk]... Let's try and break the tradition of what has happened over the last few times... I can only try. It's a big competition for the players and for the club. I have got to try and make it happen." Meanwhile, Langer assured the media that Trescothick could pull out whenever he wished to. Somerset, who began the tour without Trescothick as he was arriving later than most of the squad, commenced their warm up with a victory over the Otago Volts
Otago Volts
The Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
. The opener arrived three days later, confident in his ability to complete the tour. Somerset began with a close victory against the Deccan Chargers
Deccan Chargers
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers known in short as DC or 'Chargers' is a cricket franchise that represents the city of Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League...
on 10 October, winning from the last ball. Trescothick was dismissed for 14 from 12 in his first match outside England since 2006, "after offering a fleeting glimpse of his talent" according to CricInfo.
Trescothick was unable to avoid a recurrence of his previous difficulties when travelling abroad, however, and returned home on 15 October, citing the same "stress related illness". Brian Rose
Brian Rose (cricketer)
Brian Charles Rose is an English former cricketer, who played in nine Tests and two ODIs for England from 1977 to 1981.-Life and career:...
, who Trescothick had approached initially after Somerset's defeat by Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago cricket team
The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies...
on 12 October, released a statement to the media stating "Marcus admitted a couple of days ago that he wasn't 100% so that's fair enough. I think his future will be in domestic cricket and that may even help him with this particular form of illness. I think over the next two or three years you'll see Marcus Trescothick performing wonderfully well in county cricket." Michael Vaughan, who had by then retired from cricket, praised Trescothick's "courageous" decision, as did Vikram Solanki, then PCA chairman. Journalist Andrew Miller called for an end to the rising criticism of Trescothick's decision from the public, while Paul Hayward of the Guardian also derided those critical of the Somerset player's actions. Despite returning home, Trescothick continued to affirm his commitment to the club by signing a new three-year contract with optional fourth year, in December. He was named captain for the 2010 season.
Captaincy 2010-Present
Trescothick led Somerset into the 2010 season as captain, and began strongly in the County Championship with a century and four half-centuries from his first eight games, though he struggled in the newly formed Clydesdale Bank 40Clydesdale Bank 40
The ECB40, currently known as the Clydesdale Bank 40 for sponsorship reasons, is a forty-over limited overs cricket competition for the English first-class counties. It began in the 2010 English cricket season as a replacement for the Pro40 and Friends Provident Trophy competitions...
with only 95 runs from the first five matches, and in the Friends Provident T20 173 runs at 21.62 with a best of 50. This half century came on 25 June, where together with Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard
Kieron Adrian Pollard is an international cricketer who plays for the West Indies. An aggressive all-rounder, Pollard provides medium-fast pace bowling and big-hitting from the middle-order. After shining during the 2009 Champions League Twenty20, he was signed by both the Southern Redbacks and...
helped secure victory over Sussex, and was scored from 31 balls. Despite Trescothick's four-day form, however, Somerset struggled early on, with only one victory over Yorkshire. In a Twenty20 match against Hampshire on 9 July at Taunton, Trescothick hit a half-century from 13 deliveries, including five sixes and five fours – a record fastest fifty in English domestic Twenty20 cricket. He was eventually dismissed for 78 from only 32 balls. He went on to lead Somerset to runners-up position for all three English domestic competitions, losing out to Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, Hampshire in the Twenty20 and Warwickshire in the CB40 competition.
In 2011 Trescothick started off the county championship season very strongly and was the first batsman in the country to score 1000 championship runs. He was awarded the 2011 season MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for his performances throughout the season.
Career records and statistics
Test matches
Records:- 1,000 runs in a calendar year: 1,003 (2003), 1,004 (2004), 1,323 (2005)
- First player to score a century in both innings at EdgbastonEdgbaston Cricket GroundEdgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
(and the ninth player for England), 2004 v West Indies. - M.A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong 1st wicket partnership record: 126 with Michael VaughanMichael VaughanMichael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
, 2003–04 v Sri Lanka - Century by both openers in same innings, and Kingsmead first wicket partnership record: 273 with Andrew StraussAndrew StraussAndrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
, 2004–5 v South Africa - Multan Cricket StadiumMultan Cricket StadiumMultan Cricket Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. The stadium is located off Vehari Road, in the suburbs of Multan. Having such a lush green outfield and playing area, the stadium is the most beautiful in the country at the moment. It is primarily used for cricket...
second wicket partnership record: 180 with Ian Bell, 2005–06 v Pakistan - Riverside GroundRiverside GroundThe Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
third wicket partnership record: 155 with Ian Bell, 2005 v Bangladesh - The OvalThe OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
third wicket partnership record: 268 with Graham ThorpeGraham ThorpeGraham Paul Thorpe MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey and England. A left-handed middle-order batsman and slip fielder, he appeared in exactly 100 Test matches.-Early life:...
, 2003 v South Africa
Man of the match awards:
| Date | Opponent | Ground | Record/Scorecards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2003 | South Africa | The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , Kennington Kennington Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark.... |
Batting: 219 and 69 not out |
| 28 May 2005 | Bangladesh | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... , St John's Wood St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem... |
Batting: 194 |
Man of the Series awards:
| Date | Opponent | Record/Series link |
|---|---|---|
| May–June 2005 | Bangladesh | 345 runs at an average of 172.50 (2 centuries); 4 catches. 2 matches |
Career performance:
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best |
| Australia | 15 | 1013 | 33.76 | 90 | 0/7 | – | – | – | – |
| Bangladesh | 4 | 551 | 110.20 | 194 | 3/1 | – | – | – | – |
| India | 4 | 355 | 59.16 | 99 | 0/4 | – | – | – | – |
| New Zealand | 6 | 494 | 44.90 | 132 | 1/3 | – | – | – | – |
| Pakistan | 12 | 743 | 33.77 | 193 | 2/3 | – | 1 | 50.00 | 1/34 |
| South Africa | 10 | 935 | 51.94 | 219 | 3/3 | – | – | – | – |
| Sri Lanka | 12 | 957 | 45.57 | 161 | 3/4 | – | – | – | – |
| West Indies | 11 | 675 | 37.50 | 107 | 2/3 | – | – | – | |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 102 | 51.00 | 59 | 0/1 | – | – | – | – |
| Overall | 76 | 5825 | 43.79 | 219 | 14/29 | 1 | 155.00 | 1/34 | |
One Day Internationals
Records:- Most consecutive ODIs for England: 92 (8 July 2000 – 25 September 2004).
- Most centuries in ODI cricket by an England player: 12.
- Beausejour StadiumBeausejour StadiumBeausejour Stadium is a cricket ground located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia. It was completed in 2002 and currently accommodates 13,000 spectators...
fourth wicket partnership record: 110 with Andrew FlintoffAndrew FlintoffAndrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
, 2003–04 v West Indies - Bellerive OvalBellerive OvalBellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
first wicket partnership record: 165 with Nick KnightNick KnightNicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
, 2002–03 v Australia - Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont fourth wicket partnership record: 142 with Ian Bell, 2006 v Ireland
- Riverside GroundRiverside GroundThe Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
first wicket partnership record: 171 with Alec StewartAlec StewartAlec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
, 2000 v West Indies - County Ground, Bristol second wicket partnership: 124 with Nick Knight, 2001 v Australia
- England and The OvalThe OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
first wicket partnership record: 200 with Vikram SolankiVikram SolankiVikram Singh Solanki is an Indian-born English cricketer, who plays county cricket for Worcestershire. In 2007, he became the 24th Worcestershire batsman to pass 10,000 career runs for the county. He also captained Worcestershire from 2005 to 2010, before resigning mid-season...
, 2003 v South Africa - Rose Bowl fourth wicket partnership record: 53 with Paul CollingwoodPaul CollingwoodPaul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
, 2004 v Sri Lanka
Man of the match awards:
| Date | Opponent | Ground | Record/Scorecards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 July 2000 | West Indies | Riverside Ground Riverside Ground The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club.... , Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear... |
Batting: 87 not out |
| 12 June 2001 | Pakistan | Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... , St John's Wood St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem... |
Batting: 137 |
| 19 January 2002 | India | Eden Gardens Eden Gardens Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity... , Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India... |
Batting: 121 |
| 3 February 2002 | India | Wankhede Stadium Wankhede Stadium The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches... , Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... |
Batting: 95 |
| 18 September 2002 | Zimbabwe | R. Premadasa Stadium R. Premadasa Stadium R. Premadasa Stadium is a cricket stadium situated on Khettarama Road, Maligawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, prior to June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues in which the Sri Lankan cricket team play... , Colombo Colombo Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo... |
Batting: 119 |
| 14 June 2003 | Wales | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
Batting: 55 |
| 20 June 2003 | Pakistan | The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , Kennington Kennington Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark.... |
Batting: 86 |
| 22 June 2003 | Pakistan | Lord's, St John's Wood | Batting: 108 not out |
| 5 May 2004 | West Indies | Kensington Oval Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket... , Bridgetown Bridgetown The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael... |
Batting: 82 |
| 16 June 2005 | Bangladesh | The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , Kennington Kennington Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark.... |
Batting: 100 not out |
| 7 July 2005 | Australia | Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie .... , Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... |
Batting: 104 not out |
| 13 June 2006 | Ireland | Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont | Batting: 113 |
Man of the Series awards:
| Date | Opponents | Record/Series link |
|---|---|---|
| June–July 2002 | India, Sri Lanka | 362 runs at an average of 51.71 (1 century, 2 half-centuries); 2 catches. 7 matches |
| June 2003 | Pakistan | 212 runs at an average of 106.00 (1 century, 1 half century); 2 catches. 3 matches |
| April–May 2004 | West Indies | 267 runs at an average of 66.75 (1 century, 1 half century). 5 matches |
Career performance:
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best |
| Australia | 18 | 507 | 31.68 | 104* | 1/4 | – | – | – | – |
| Bangladesh | 7 | 330 | 55.00 | 100* | 1/2 | – | – | – | – |
| India | 15 | 614 | 40.93 | 121 | 2/2 | – | – | – | – |
| Ireland | 1 | 113 | 113.00 | 113 | 1/0 | – | – | – | – |
| Namibia Namibia national cricket team The Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003... |
1 | 58 | 58.00 | 58 | 0/1 | – | – | – | – |
| New Zealand | 7 | 62 | 8.85 | 41 | 0/0 | – | – | – | – |
| Pakistan | 18 | 587 | 34.52 | 137 | 2/2 | – | – | – | – |
| South Africa | 12 | 307 | 27.90 | 114* | 1/1 | – | – | – | – |
| Sri Lanka | 17 | 697 | 41.00 | 121 | 1/4 | – | – | – | – |
| West Indies | 12 | 596 | 59.60 | 130 | 2/3 | 2 | 42.50 | 1/17 | |
| Zimbabwe | 14 | 452 | 32.28 | 119 | 1/2 | 2 | 7.00 | 2/7 | |
| Overall | 123 | 4335 | 37.37 | 137 | 12/21 | 4 | 54.75 | 2/7 | |
External links
- Player Profile: Marcus Trescothick from Cricket Archive
- Official Web Page