Trescothick not to tour

Marcus Trescothick has ruled himself out of contention for England’s upcoming tours this winter.

The Somerset opener has not appeared for England abroad since their tour of Pakistan in November and December 2005, having twice returned home from subsequent England tours, most recently the 06/07 Ashes in Australia, due to a mysterious “stress-related illness.”

Since returning home from Australia, Trescothick has not appeared for England but has scored 958 First Class runs at an average of 73.69 for Somerset this year and was named in England’s preliminary 30-man squad for the upcoming Twenty20 World Championships.

But Trescothick’s decision will mean he will miss not only the Twenty20 tournament in South Africa, but Test and ODI series’ in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

“Whilst I have been enjoying my cricket for Somerset this summer and feel that I am making good progress, I need to ensure that I am completely ready for a return to international cricket before making myself available for selection,” said the 31-year-old.

“I recently informed the selectors that I was happy to be included in the 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to leave all options open but I am now clear that I should take more time to complete my recovery. I still have ambitions to play for England.”