Go slow to help Tresco

Marcus Trescothiock is right in thinking he needs a positive approach to play himself out of this worrying run of bad form - but there is a big difference between being positive and being gung-ho. A batsman can be equally positive in defence as in attack and particularly at the start of an innings it isn't necessarily always the best option to go looking for big shots and boundaries. A solid block back to the bowler, with everything in line behind the ball, or even a decisive leave outside the off stump can demonstrate that an opener is making the right shot selection; that he has the mental side of his game in order. That's positive.

Because he doesn't move much in the crease, Trescothick is always going to look bad when he is out of touch. He has been described as having feet stuck in glue but he wouldn't exactly have been Twinkletoes when he was making that double century to win The Oval Test and square the series against South Africa last September. That's the way he plays and so far it has brought him plenty of runs in Test matches.

However, whenever one of these barren spells comes along there will be the concern that he has been found out - that opposition bowlers have discovered his Achilles heel. In this series, he has got on top of anything short but has looked suspect to the rapid, good length delivery, angled across him.

Watch the foot movement of fellow left-handers Brian Lara, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe and you will see them consciously moving to cover off stump but Trescothick stays where he is and as a result his head is nowhere in line with a ball out there. While he can get away with it against fast-medium bowlers, that little bit of extra pace from Fidel Edwards or Tino Best undoes him and the bat comes down late and crooked. That extra yard of pace allows no margin for error.

It isn't a new problem. In Australia last winter he also struggled and tried to counter it by tinkering with his technique: crouching more in the crease and trying to move his feet properly. I'm happy to see him standing up straight again, that's probably the best way for a tall man, but there is no doubt he does need to spend time in the middle.

Years ago at Middlesex, Clive Radley would say: 'Don't worry how ugly it looks, just stay there for as long as you can. Give yourself a chance.' That's what Trescothick needs now: some ugly runs. If they don't come in the second innings here in Barbados, or next week in Antigua, then the England management should look at the longer-term good of the Test team and consider sending him back to Somerset before the one-day series. That may sound a bit harsh - drastic even - for someone who has been such a valuable one-day player but the practice facilities at Taunton will be better and a few runs in county cricket will boost his confidence no end. It's also never a bad thing for a player to be reminded he isn't entitled to a place in the team. I remember having to tell Allan Lamb he had been dropped after a bad run of form and he came back stronger.

Also if Andrew Strauss were to open in the one-day series and look the part it would give England another option for the summer series against New Zealand and West Indies. We might even see Trescothick dropping down the order at some point with Nasser Hussain expected to retire shortly and Thorpe, despite his wonderful effort on Friday, likely to follow within the next couple of seasons.

Whatever happens, the problem must not be allowed to drag on because the opening partnership is one of the most important elements to a successful side. If one opening batsmen is regularly getting out early it puts the rest of the team under pressure.

It's unlikely that Trescothick's form was a major factor in Michael Vaughan deciding to bowl first on Thursday, but it will be having a knock-on effect on other players. Chris Read, for example, has done little wrong behind the stumps but his place is coming under the spotlight because he hasn't made a big score at this level. Well, if Trescothick was scoring heavily, Read would find batting a lot easier coming in at 300 for five rather 90 for five. Runs at the top of the innings would also ease the burden on Andrew Flintoff at number six.

The biggest benefactor from a Trescothick return to form, though, would be his captain. So far Vaughan has been supportive but he, more than anyone, needs his good friend and opening partner to turn it around. And turn it around quickly.