Aussies plan Trescothick's downfall

MANCHESTER, England - A secret plan is being devised to prevent dangerous England opener Marcus Trescothick from ruining Australia's bid for a seventh straight Ashes triumph.

England stalwarts Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick, Graham Thorpe and Robert Croft, to name a few, carry the scars of past floggings from Australia but Trescothick is the new 25-year-old on the block.

He has made a big impact since arriving on the international scene last year and a flurry of runs this northern summer have well and truly caught the attention of the Australians.

Trescothick made a masterly 117 in the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford before turning to the tri-series and racking up 67 (run out) and 137 versus Australia and Pakistan respectively.

"He's got a good temperament - he reminds me quite a bit of Mark Taylor because he doesn't seem to be too fazed by anything," said Australian captain Steve Waugh on the eve of tonight's one-dayer against England, which starts at 11.30pm (AEST).

"He's going very well, he's a good player - but we've got our ideas on how to bowl to him in Test matches.

"It will be a good test to see how we're going and also how well he's going because he's really only been on the scene for 12 months and sometimes that can be a good period for batsmen because no-one else has seen them.

"We've got time to work him out before that first Test." Waugh was giving nothing away.

"Test matches you've obviously got more options because you can bowl different deliveries and the same bowler can stay on longer so you can go about things in a different fashion," he said.

"But look, he's a good quality player and doesn't appear to have too many obvious weaknesses."

The Australians are renowned for thorough reviews and previews of all their matches and they devise meticulous plans to exploit the weaknesses of every opposition batsmen.

Trescothick has played 11 Tests for 750 runs at 39.47 but his statistics are improving with every appearance at the crease.