Cricket: Trescothick to Miss Champions Trophy

Marcus Trescothick has been undergoing treatment for a stress-related illness ever since his premature departure from last winter's tour of India. The revelation came yesterday when it was announced that he will miss the Champions Trophy in India next month on medical advice, although his recovery is expected to be complete in time for England's Ashes tour to Australia.

He is receiving confidential counselling from Performance Healthcare, a Wiltshire-based company which specialises in treating high-profile professionals struggling to cope with the pressures of international sport and which also runs the Professional Cricketers' Association helpline.

The fact that Trescothick will miss a tour of India for the second time in a year has not been greeted with universal sympathy. The suspicion in some quarters is that a crowded international programme is tempting some England players to cherry-pick their tours, a practice that the coach Duncan Fletcher has always vehemently resisted. This has prompted Trescothick to allow his treatment to be made public.

"I was keen to take part in the Champions Trophy," he said, "but I do appreciate that my specialist's advice is that I must first continue the treatment devised for me.

"Having come to terms with the full extent of my illness last winter, I recognise that I am now well on course to make a full recovery and I am determined to play a full part in the Ashes tour."

The exact nature of Trescothick's illness remains confidential but he has been more prey than most to the sense of isolation and unhappiness that can develop on long overseas tours. In India last winter he was further debilitated by a gastro-intestinal infection and his wife was struggling to cope with a 10-month-old child. He left the tour in Baroda in tears, four days before the first Test in Nagpur.

He has cut a relaxed figure for much of the summer, but his form has deteriorated. He has averaged less than 20 since his Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord's, and his 22 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan - culminating in a first-ball duck when he was bowled by Shoaib Akhtar at the Rose Bowl - was unfortunate with another tour looming.

A spokesman for Performance Healthcare said: "He has been receiving specialist treatment which has allowed him to resume his position in the England team. We believe that it would be premature for him to tour India in October. Rest is an important part of his treatment and he will need recovery time before the Ashes tour begins in November. Marcus has made significant progress, witnessed by the fact that he is now at a stage where he has openly accepted the full extent of the illness which he suffered."

In the short term, his withdrawal from the India tour is likely to lead to his omission from the NatWest one-day series against Pakistan. This will give an opportunity to Alastair Cook or Ed Joyce, although such is England's concern about the lack of forceful strokeplay at the top of the order that they have toyed with Kevin Pietersen opening. When the Ashes squad is named on Tuesday, Trescothick's inclusion will be a formality.

Nevertheless fears abound that his absence may begin a trend - Steve Harmison's homesickness and lack of affinity for the one-day game have been well documented - and this will force a review of central contracts to consider whether players missing tours, through illness or injury, should suffer financial penalties.

Fletcher was at his most doleful yesterday. The coach overlooked Graham Thorpe for a time after he missed the 1999-2000 tour of South Africa and was equally impatient with Darren Gough and Alec Stewart when they opted out of the India tour two years later, but he remains supportive of Trescothick.

"I have always got sympathies for players with injuries, whether they are physical injuries or these medical problems that Marcus has, because I know these players want to play for England," Fletcher said. "We have just got to come up with a method that makes sure these players don't pick tours. I have always said that there is a lot of cricket in both levels of the game, in county and international cricket, but I would want my players available for all tours that are played."

Reluctant tourists


David Gower 231 ODI caps


England career June 79 - Aug 92


Excuse Chose to miss 1987 World Cup because he didn't want to travel after nine successive winter tours

Graham Gooch 243 caps


England career July 75 - Feb 95


Excuse Withdrew from 1993 West Indies tour to spend time with his children after splitting from wife

Alec Stewart 303 caps


England career Oct 89 - Sept 03


Excuse Put family before cricket when England toured India in 2001

Graham Thorpe 182 caps


England career July 93 - June 05


Excuse Dropped out of 2002 Ashes series to cope with the break-up of his marriage and missed 2004 tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe to spend more time with his family

Darren Gough 219 caps


England career July 94 - present


Excuse Made himself unavailable for 2006 tour to Pakistan because of family reasons only to appear on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing