Trescothick eyeing path to becoming England leader
IT’S hard to imagine Somerset legend Marcus Trescothick ever being associated with another county.
But it may well happen if the man with a pavilion named after him at the Cooper Associates County Ground is to achieve the target he revealed when interviewed for this column – to be England head coach.
Trescothick left his beloved Somerset in March after a short spell on the coaching staff to join the England set-up as elite batting coach.
Now the ambition that took him to the top of his profession as a player is resurfacing as he plots another career path.
I have known Marcus since he first broke into Somerset’s team 27 years ago. one of his greatest assets has always been self-belief, without a trace of arrogance.
When I caught up with him the other day on a rare break from his new job, we talked about his hopes for the future, just as we had done when he was a player aspiring to represent his country.
And when I asked if he would like to be England head coach one day, the answer was: “Yes, absolutely.”
He added: “I see the progression from my current role in time as becoming the head coach of a county and then maybe on to the same job at international level.
“I don’t think I could narrow it down to necessarily working for Somerset.
“It would be strange to be employed by another county, but if the right job became available elsewhere, I would have to consider it.
“My current job takes me around the counties and I have spent time at the likes of Gloucestershire, Kent and Surrey, so I am experiencing different environments.
“We are looking a fair way down the line and I haven’t considered a time scale. All I see at the moment is the need to become as good as I can at the job I am doing, with a future plan in the background.”
Trescothick went on to explain to me what his new role comprises. “Graeme Thorpe is the main England batting coach, but he is classed as an assistant coach, along with Paul Collingwood,” he said.
“Then the there is a group working under them called the elite coaches, which is me, Jon Lewis, Jeetan Patel and Richard Dawson, who is Young Lions coach, looking after the Under-19s.
“Graeme does the main part of the batting work with the actual England team and, when that is happening, I will work with players who potentially might be involved in the near future.
“If there is a white ball series going on, I will be coaching those likely to be in the next Test squad and vice versa.
“If Graeme needs a break, I step in. We divide things up between us according to what is required. If England are playing and I am not with them, I travel around the country working with players at the counties.
“I might go up to Manchester to work with Jos Buttler or stay in and around the London area where there are numerous players for me to deal with.
“I also get down to Hampshire and Somerset, sometimes to coach and sometimes to watch games, scout various batsmen and write reports on them.”
“I am really enjoying the job. You clock up a lot more miles in the car, but I am working with some of the best players in the country, which is great.
“The best part is when I am actually in the bubble with the England team. That reminds me of how good it was when I played.
“With the crowds coming back, it provides even more of a buzz. Being in that environment is the pinnacle for someone like myself.”
How, I wondered, does Marcus set about coaching someone like England captain Joe Root, already among the top batsmen in Test cricket.
“It’s less about the technical side of the game with someone like Joe and more about the mental approach,” he told me.
“It could be to do with the tempo of his innings or the balance of his feet.
“I don’t say ‘you need to do this, Joe.’ We have a discussion and I try to get the player himself to come up with answers.
“It might be a one-minute conversation or a chat that continues over two or three net sessions.
“Whatever the case, I love working with world class players and I hope it continues for years to come.” H ow good it has been to see Gloucestershire and Somerset fans turning out in large numbers to support the Royal London Cup.
The 50-over competition, offering traditional one-day cricket without razzmatazz, was submerged in its build-up behind frantic efforts to publicise the new Hundred competition.
It has been squeezed into this season’s fixture list to such an extent that, although the final group positions will not become apparent until tonight, the knockout stage of the competition starts on Saturday.
That gives the quarter-finals qualifiers with home advantage just a day to sell tickets. The semifinals are next Tuesday, with the final at Trent Bridge just two days later.
Despite so many top county players being involved in the Hundred, cricket followers in the South West have backed the Royal London Cup, with healthy attendances at the Bristol County Ground and the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
They have been rewarded with some fantastic games, Gloucestershire losing off the last ball to Essex and Somerset winning off the final delivery against Glamorgan.
More than that, as I forecast in this column before the first round of games, the Royal London Cup has showcased young talent all around the country, Somerset giving debuts to no fewer than seven players.
I have witnessed some wonderful individual performances, none better than the 99 not out scored by Gloucestershire’s Ben Charlesworth against Hampshire at Bristol.
The 20-year-old left-hander produced the shot I remember most clearly from the group games, an elegant and sweetly-timed lofted drive back over the bowler’s head for four to reach his fifty.
I have loved every moment of covering 50-over cricket this summer. Whatever developments take place with the other two one-day competitions, it must have a future in our domestic game.