Betfair | "I still have the same motivation and desire to play for Somerset as I did for England" says Marcus Trescothick

"I still have the same motivation and desire to play for Somerset as I did for England" says Marcus Trescothick

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo got in touch with his old pal Marcus Trescothick to ask him about the truth behind his international retirement and what the future holds for him

Marcus Trescothick (born in Keynsham, Somerset on 25 December 1975) officially announced his retirement from international cricket on 22 March 2008 and most aficionados agreed it was a sensible and noble gesture made at the right time. Hopefully this will take some pressure off him and help England build for the future.

Trescothick confirmed that this withdrawal from Somerset's pre-season tour of Dubai sealed his decision to quit international cricket for England. His parting words "I'm not prepared to put myself, my body and my family through that anymore and everything it takes to sacrifice to do that. It was great while it lasted, but it's time to move on and let somebody else have a go". A poignant moment indeed but his health and his family are more important than representing your country!

He played 76 Test matches for England averaging 43.79 and 123 ODIs averaging 37.37. Those statistics make far better reading when you realise that at all times he played for the team and not himself:
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/21585.html#Profile

He will sorely miss playing international cricket but I can guarantee that his commitment to cricket will not wane one iota! I have known Marcus since he was a teenager. He helped me in my cricket shop and I was involved in his sponsorship. His passion and excitement for all things cricket was obsessive. He was a real thinker! He would pick up every single bat in the shop, feeling the balance of it and gauging its pick-up. He would get a bat mallet out to determine the size of the sweet spot. On every bat we would pick them up and challenge each other to guess the exact weight, he would always be within an ounce if not precisely right. He would scrutinise the grain, ruminate and enquire the pros and cons of each piece of willow. He devoured information on cricket equipment.

By the time he started to play county cricket he would tell us how to build and make his cricket bat regarding the handle, the grips, the weight, the balance and grain (2lbs 10-12oz short handle, big middle). He would pass this information onto his team-mates advising them of the best bat to suit their particular style of play. He became a connoisseur of the Salix alba caerulea!
I believe he has many years of county cricket left in him and Somerset are about to reap the benefit as he terminates his International career. He assured Betfair readers that he 'will not regard playing county cricket tedious after reaching the dizzy heights of the international stage'. His love of cricket is pure and total and he has promised Betfair readers 'he will not lack motivation or desire'. I know this to be true!

England have missed this left hander badly. He is the perfect opener. He knows where his off stump is and is a great leaver of a ball. A bad delivery invariably gets spanked for four. He is also a great player of spin where he judges length so well. He is a contradiction in that he appears calm at the crease and can bat through a crisis, his first four centuries came in a losing cause, hence a testament to that. He has never been replaced whenever opening the innings or in the dressing room. Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan openly herald his qualities.

Some people have talked about his lack of feet movement at the crease and this is true but his eye to ball co-ordination is sublime. When he transfers his weight he plays particularly well. He has the ability to hit long and far and ironically he would have gone down a treat in the 20/20 Indian Premier League. What a pity we will never see him sweep Shane Warne for six again in the international arena!

He is looking forward to the new season and will score heavily with Justin Langer. I am annoyed that I have missed a Betfair price of [18.5] earlier last week. Current Betfair prices for the Championship Division 1 show: Lancashire [5.7] Sussex [5.8] Surrey [7.6] Durham and Hampshire [8] Somerset [9] Yorkshire [11] Kent [12] and Nottinghamshire [16].

After his playing career he will be invaluable to Somerset in a coaching capacity. His knowledge and understanding of the game is paramount.

Marcus Trescothick is honest, polite, loyal and helpful to his friends. His fantastic enthusiasm and love of the game sets him apart. You will not hear a bad word against him. He is a rare breed in competitive sport in that despite his success he is a genuinely pleasant person.

He reminds us that his book charting his life and decision making comes out on 1 September 2008 by Harper Collins. All will be revealed. The title is still to be confirmed. It is sure to make compulsive reading!

26 March 2008 / About Paul Moon

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Comments (5)

Tresco is a huge loss to England and I agree he was a truly selfless player.

Jamie Carl | 26 March 2008

A very interesting read about one of Cricket's Greats. Look forward to more updates and insights on Tresco from the mighty pen of Pablo!

Sut Mae | 27 March 2008

What a splendid publication, enjoyable read.
Fascinated by the bat thing, did the tall man use a short handle? Please explain?
He was selfless, many a time in search of quick runs he gave the old heave ho.
I will always have fond memories of him.
Mistake him going behind the stumps but what the heck?
Thought a lot of rot spoken about his feet, his scores did his talking. Scored some runs when we won the ashes and was very improtant member of the team.
Agree about the Indian cricket, would have been brilliant in the twentytweny
I wish him best of luck, hopefully see him when he next plays Essex in a cup game.
Great read

Chistopher | 27 March 2008

great article on marcus trescothic by Pablo ,some good points and interesting that he worked with him when he was growing up in keynsham .He will be a great loss to the England team ,but at least somerset will get the benefits .

Richie Cunningham | 30 March 2008

Excellent piece. Despite already contributing so much Marcus still has a lot to offer the game as a player and beyond. Cricket fans - sit back and enjoy the show!

Tall Paul | 02 April 2008