England batting coach Marcus Trescothick during a nets session at Trent Bridge. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Former England batter Marcus Trescothick, who will be serving as Three Lions’ interim head coach for the white-ball series against Australia at home next month, said that he has not decided if he wants to be considered for this role as a long-term option.
Trescothick is currently one of the team’s assistant coaches and is working with the Test team during the ongoing Sri Lanka series. He will leave the squad during the third Test at The Oval to be with the white-ball squads for the series starting from September 11 onwards.
Also Read: England takes first-innings lead over Sri Lanka thanks to unbeaten 72 by Jamie Smith in first Test
The recent departure of Mott as England’s white-ball coach after failures to defend both white-ball ICC titles has left a vacancy in one of the most highly-sought roles in world cricket and a host of former players and leading coaches have already had their names linked to the job by cricket media.
“It is not something I had ever thought about before until I got this opportunity now. I am not necessarily thinking any further ahead than the end of the Australia series. I have been very much focused on the job we are doing here [with the Test team],” he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“You plan your winter: we are off to Pakistan, then New Zealand. I am so ingrained in that at the moment, I have not really sat down and said, ‘right, this is where I will try to go, this is what I will try to do’. I am looking forward to the opportunity, for sure. I am really excited about doing the job. We will work it out a little bit more from there,” he added.
Having never worked as a head coach, the former English left-hander had expressed interest in the role. He was Somerset’s assistant coach for a year and a half after his retirement in 2019 and has been a part of England’s coaching set-up since early 2021. Trescothick will be working closely with white-ball captain Jos Buttler, who is close to him given their time together as players for Somerset.
Buttler returned to the field for training this week after a cal injury ruled him out of the Hundred competition and could play for Lancashire in the T20 Blast quarterfinal against Sussex on September 4. England’s series against Australia will start just 24 hours after the scheduled close of the final Test match against Sri Lanka, which means teams will be different for both series.
“They have a busy schedule,” Trescothick said. “The two series very closely overlap,” he added. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is yet to advertise the white-ball coach position left vacant by Mott. Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, former England all-rounder, and current Northern Superchargers coach Andrew Flintoff are among the favourites for the role.
