England suffer Trescothick blow

Marcus Trescothick’s troubled summer continued this morning, as it was announced that he will not fly to India with the England side next month for the ICC Champions Trophy. Trescothick withdrew from England’s tour to India earlier in the year citing a virus, and although he has been undergoing medical treatment all summer, it would appear that this illness refuses to go away.

An ECB statement claimed that Trescothick has made “very positive progress”, and “is expected to resume playing for England prior to the Ashes tour”. However, with England already decimated by injuries and with many of those injuries refusing to clear up, there must remain doubts over his participation.

A spokesman for the medical specialists treating Trescothick, Performance Healthcare, said that Trescothick had been suffering from “gastrointestinal infection”, and “an underlying stress-related illness”. They also stated that “rest is an important part of his treatment and he will need time to recover before the Ashes tour in November”, hence his withdrawal from the trip to India.

Trescothick has not been in the runs recently for his side, with only 22 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan so far, and there have already been suggestions that if he finds it difficult to go on tour with England, his international career must be in some doubt. The England selectors meet on Sunday to pick the squad for the Champions Trophy – it will be a very tough task.