Marcus Trescothick

Few people would argue with Marcus Trescothick’s place among England’s most outstanding batsmen of the modern age, but his great talent almost went unfulfilled after an inconsistent start to his county career.

A prolific run-scorer as a schoolboy cricketer and for England’s age-group sides, Trescothick struggled with the transition to county cricket to such an extent he believed he may not be offered a new contract with Somerset at one stage of his fledgling career.

He turned his career around with a prolific 1994 season but, demonstrating the timing which would become the hallmark of his senior England career, it was his 167 scored against Glamorgan at Taunton in 2000 which proved the most significant innings of his career.

Just a year later when England were short of a one-day opener, newly-installed England coach Duncan Fletcher – who had been in charge of Glamorgan that day in Taunton – remembered Trescothick’s qualities and began his international career.

His quality was immediate with Trescothick immediately settling into international cricket, hitting a composed 79 on his one-day international debut against Zimbabwe in 2000 and made an equally impressive 66 on his Test debut against West Indies at Old Trafford later that summer.

It was clear England had discovered a special cricketer and although his first four Test centuries were in a losing cause, he provided an aggression and composure at the top of the order which had not been seen for some time.

He scored a brilliant 219 to help England level the series against South Africa at the Oval in 2003 and became such an important figure in the side that he was appointed stand in captain against West Indies at Edgbaston the following summer – an extra responsibility he enjoyed so much he hit a pair of hundreds.

His role in the 2005 Ashes success, when England upset expectations to overcome the No 1 rated side in the world for the first time since 1986-7, cannot be under-stated. His aggressive style at the top of the order often set the tone for England’s innings and only Andrew Flintoff’s incredible performances overshadowed his efforts.

Trescothick hit 431 runs during that series and it seemed inevitable that when Michael Vaughan decided to step down, he would be the obvious choice as the new England captain. He filled in again that winter when Vaughan missed Tests in Pakistan with a knee injury, but that winter signalled the premature end to his international career.

He was forced to return home from India later that winter with a stress-related illness which made it difficult for him to spend time away from home. Following treatment and counselling, he returned to England’s ranks in the summer of 2006, but was again withdrawn from the Champions Trophy tournament in India because of the condition.

His form for Somerset in 2007 prompted England to name him in their provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa, but once again he felt unable to make the trip.  A further withdrawal, this time from Somerset’s pre-season trip to UAE, led to Trescothick announcing his retirement from international cricket in March, 2008.

Later that year his critically acclaimed autobiography, Coming Back To Me, was published, in which Trescothick spoke candidly about his stress-related condition and how it affected his ability to play cricket overseas. It won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for 2008.

Despite his much-publicised problems, Trescothick agreed to fly out to India with Somerset for the Champions League late in 2009, although he was forced to return home after the Group Stages. He remains committed to Somerset, however, and took over the captaincy from Justin Langer for the 2010 county season.