Trescothick left because of mystery virus

By Sam Hathaway
April 10 2006

England opener Marcus Trescothick today revealed the reason behind him leaving the India tour before it had even begun. Many people suspected it was to do with personal problems at home but the 30 year old revealed the real reason.

Trescothick picked up a virus during the early stage of the tour in Mumbai which had a drastic effect on both his physical and mental fitness. This made the decision slightly easier for the experienced batsman and arrived home just before the start of the 3 match test series.

He told Sky Sports: “The main reason was I picked up a bug while I was out there in Bombay (Mumbai).

“It got to the point where I had to say I'm pretty fatigued here and I'm struggling to concentrate on my cricket leading up to a big Test match

“When I finally made the decision, I spoke to Duncan (Fletcher) and he was thoroughly supportive of what I wanted to do. They accepted it and supported me all the way though.”

The 30 year old has had a very successful career which has included 69 Tests and 114 ODIs since his international debut in 2000. He revealed that playing so many England matches has been a real strain on him. But he wants to get back training hard in the nets and prepare for a county season with Somerset.

“My main priority is to get back in the nets, work hard, play well for Somerset at the start of the year and then it's up to other people to decide whether I'm back in the team,” he added.

“The virus is a funny one. It's stuck with me for such a long time and even up to probably three weeks ago I was getting relapses.

Trescothick also made it clear of his commitment to England by ensuring the selectors that he would be available to tour with them in the future.

”I am prepared to tour again,” he continued. “This was an ideal opportunity just for me to have a rest. I've played six years of non-stop cricket for England travelling around the world.

“We spend 300 nights a year out of our own houses. There are times when you do need a rest.”

I think most England fans will be delighted to see him back and hopefully it will be a speedy return.