Trescothick looking for Leeds lift
by AFP


Player:ME Trescothick
Event:Pakistan in British Isles 2006

DateLine: 3rd August 2006

 

Marcus Trescothick is hoping for yet more success at Headingley as England look to wrap up their Test series against Pakistan when the third leg of the campaign starts Friday at the Leeds venue.

 

England have scored six hundreds while building a 1-0 lead in the four-match contest but opening batsman Trescothick has yet to reach three figures.

 

The Somerset left-hander has managed just a meagre 39 runs from his three innings so far but is now arriving at a ground where he has previously enjoyed plenty of success while on England duty, having scored consecutive one-day hundreds there as well as a Test century, on his last visit, against New Zealand in 2004.

 

"Of course I want to get runs every time I go out to bat so it is not an ideal situation," said the 30-year-old Trescothick.

 

"I have not seen it as I would have liked to over the last couple of games or played as well as I can do - hopefully it will kick back in this week.

 

"Some grounds you pick the ball up better, whether this is one of those grounds I don't know but it always seems to work for me here.

 

"It's always nice when you turn up at a ground knowing the last time you were here you did well."

 

Trescothick was the only English batsman to reach three figures during England's recent 5-0 one-day series thrashing by Sri Lanka.

 

But a return to the Test arena had seen Alastair Cook and Ian Bell score two centuries apiece while current captain Andrew Strauss and all-rounder Paul Collingwood both scored a hundred in the drawn series opener at Lord's.

 

"We harped on about it during the one-day series and we know it's important whatever format of the game you play in," Trescothick, who has scored 14 Test centuries in all, said.

 

"It is a mental thing to keep converting scores because that is what really makes the difference, big totals and winning games. It gives your bowlers time to rest and allows them to bowl with men around the bat."

 

Such was England's dominance at Old Trafford, they won inside three days and Trescothick insisted: "We always knew we didn't need much to get back, we just needed a couple of performances from someone with bat or ball and it would turn around quickly.

 

"Moving back into Test cricket where our record is a hell of a lot better than in one-dayers made it come back as quickly as we hoped.

 

"We have to be clinical and tough this week and get straight back into them.

 

"We've played really well against them twice now and we have got to do the same again.

 

"You have to be careful when people are wounded because they can bounce back quickly, so we will concentrate on what we have done well in the last two games and replicate it in this one."

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)